Runaway
by rhodesXmorrisonXorton
Summary: Upon discovering her betrothal to a lord nearly twice her age, a unconventional and independent princess flees from the bounds of palace and voyages on an adventure of a lifetime. Along the way, she falls for a lone and reserved rogue who is much like her... Randy OrtonxOC
1. Introduction

****Runaway****

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**Introduction & Chapter 1: Longing for Freedom**

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**Summary: Upon discovering her betrothal to a lord nearly twice her age, a unconventional and independent princess flees from the bounds of palace, and voyages on an adventure of a lifetime. Along the way, she falls for a lone and reserved rogue who is very much like her, conflicting inside and not wanting to follow the rules...**

***Author's Note: Hey y'all Fanficitoners! With the completion of one story, I have begun on a new story, one that is completely different from all my other stories and one-shots. This story, entitled, Runaway, features an original character of my own (I only own her, by the way) and none other than The Viper, Randy Orton. However, despite this story featuring WWE's Apex Predator, the chronological time does NOT take place in the present day, nor does the setting take place in the WWE Universe.**

**The setting of this story takes place in a kingdom located in an alternate universe, one that I have created purely out of my imagination, so not everything in the society of that kingdom will make entirely sense. The reason for the change in setting is because I have read so many Randy Orton/OC love stories, and all of them take place in a present day or WWE Universe setting, so I'd thought I'd try something a little different of my own. This entire story will be told entirely in third-person omniscient point of view, so there's nothing like 'Randy's POV' or anything. I hope you guys will enjoy reading this story as it progresses along.***

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In an alternate universe, one that cannot be pointed out on a map that you would commonly find in your astronomy textbook, there was a country by the name of Secretum governed by the royal family of Akermann. For centuries, the Akermann name ruled Secretum, and under the Akermann rule, it was guaranteed that no violence, crime or controversy would burst out suddenly.

The Akermanns of the past and the present ousted criminals, bandits, and Magi (singular term is Magus), those who possessed a single bit of magic in their blood. They enforced strict laws upon the Magi, believing the Magi would place a curse to break the perennial governing power that had lasted for hundreds of years. Magic was something that could not be passed down from one generation to the next; it was not a hereditary trait. It was something that suddenly appeared out of nowhere; anyone, regardless of blood or social status, could be born a Magi and not realize it until later on in their life.

Unfortunately for the Magi, living in Secretum was not exactly tranquil. many of them either hid their powers, fled the country, or some unlucky ones were even condemned and silently executed in the prisons. The Akermann's fear of anything unusual or foreign has caused the drama in Secretum to drastically decline, and for the past hundred years or two, life was basically a bore. Exciting news was rare for the people; in fact, what was considered exciting was anything to do with the Akermann royal family. Whether it was the birth or death of a family member, or the coronation of a new leader, those were chiefly considered news. Other than that, nothing else occurred in the still, silent kingdom of Akermann.

And in that silent kingdom of Akermann, at the southernmost point of Secretum, amongst the stout and austere houses and shops of the surrounding civilian society, was a palace. This palace had been the home of the Akermanns since the beginning of their rule. This palace was so vast – it occupied about half of the area of the entire country of Secretum. This palace had the whole enchilada – a moat where one could fish for food surrounding the front half, a surrounding palace wall entirely made of force fields, a large garden filled with a variety of flora and fauna – it could be an entire town on its own. The palace has undergone changes in order to accommodate the present time period, but the blood of the occupants still remained the same.

And one of those occupants, sitting by the divan by the window of the bedroom on the fifth floor of the palace, was Mylene Akermann.

Standing at an average 5'5'', with wavy blonde hair up to her waist and deep blue eyes, Mylene Akermann resembled the perfect Disney princess. Her pale complexion with just a bit of blush in her cheeks and rosy lips made her resemble a porcelain doll. In fact, she indeed was a princess, the crown princess of the Akermann family, that is.

Despite her delicate and dainty appearance, Mylene was far from the typical 'proper and prim' princess – she hated the traditions and customs of being a lady. She loathed curtsying and ballroom dancing she had been forced to take up. She detested the table manners and protocols she was forced to practice almost every single day of her life. She thought the pretty and girly skirts and dresses she was forced to wear every single day of her life were absolutely ridiculous. To sum it all up, she _hated_ palace life.

Mylene's eyes glowed with the moon as she stared into the deep night sky, unable to get any sleep due to the stresses and thoughts circling her mind. She longed to break out of the confining walls of the palace; not once had she left the vicinity, and for years she ached to explore the world outside the palace. She longed for adventure outside the palace life she abhorred so deeply. She wished for just one day to leave the palace and do whatever she liked, not sit in her chair and drink tea all day.

_I wonder what it's like to live in the world outside this damned palace, _thought Mylene, focusing her view on the distant Forest of Mysteries on the outskirts of Secretum, the forest that had been forbidden to all residents of the Akermann kingdom, _why can't Mother and Father let me just step outside the gates and take a bit of a stroll? There's nothing terrible out there that could kill me because of the stupid laws Parliament makes on anything foreign; why are they so afraid of allowing me to get some fresh air out of this stupid castle?_

To a normal citizen, the Akermann palace was like going to Disneyland. To the blonde-haired beauty, however, her home for 23 years felt more like a prison to her. Throughout her entire life, Mylene had not taken one step out of the palace, not even once to venture the shops, restaurants, and nightlife of Secretum. Everything she did was in the palace, whether it was for education, leisure, sports, or entertainment. She went to the study hall to receive private homeschool tuition for her education and 'princess lessons', which she absolutely dreaded. She went to the sports hall to do her exercise. She spent her leisure time occupying herself with the things she had in the palace– sketching from her bedroom window, listening to music, or even visiting the gardeners tending to the shrubs and bushes in the special rose garden.

Mylene was far from the type of girl who would stay home and read; she loved venturing outside her bedroom and occupying herself with whatever the palace supplied for her. But she wanted more – more than just running around in the courtyard and playing in the garden. She always wondered why Mother and Father, the King and Queen of Secretum, were so reluctant in allowing her to explore outside the palace walls and experienced the world outside.

Because she was always locked up in the palace, and because she was an only child, Mylene hardly had any friends at all. Her relatives never visited so she didn't have any cousins to play with. Her mother and father were _always_ busy with governing the country and meeting with Parliament, so she never saw them unless she was called to see them. It was even rare for them to join her for dinner nowadays. Mylene even tried befriending some of the palace workers and servants. Most of them either refused to talk to her or show any sign of greeting towards her, but a few of them were very friendly and kept her company during the day. Even with a few amicable palace workers to chat with as she explored the palace, Mylene was still very lonely.

_Oh, how I long to find someone to always be there for me. Someone to play with me and keep me company. Someone who will listen to my problems and understand how bored to tears I am in this prison I call my home, _thought Mylene, _I just want to find a friend who'll always be there for me and care about me as much as I care about them. I dream of finding happiness and true love in the world out there, not in this same, boring old palace that I've been imprisoned in for my entire life. I just want to go outside and explore the world I'd never explored before._

Mylene recalled the several occasions she'd tried to persuade her mother to allow her to go shopping in the city. Each time she asked, her mother was reluctant to answer and her father snapped at her.

"_Mylene, how many times do I have to remind you about this?" he barked furiously at his only daughter, "when your mother and I tell you not to go outside the palace, we mean DON'T GO OUTSIDE THE PALACE."_

"_But Father!" begged a seventeen-year-old Mylene, "I've never been outside the palace before! I've always wanted to go shopping in the city and at least explore what it's like out there because I've never been there before!"_

"_Mylene—"_

"_Father, please! Why are you so reluctant in at least letting me go for a walk outside the palace walls?" pleaded Mylene, "is there something wrong with exploring the town? If I can't, then why can the rest of the population of Secretum?"_

"_That's enough, you stupid girl!" screamed King Akermann, slamming his fist on his office desk, "stop asking me that damned question, will you?"_

"_Lucian…" Queen Leonora, Akermann's wife and Mylene's mother, tried to hush her husband., placing a hand on his shoulder gently._

"_Not now, Nora," snapped King Akermann angrily, "I'm trying to remind our daughter of the several times she's brought this issue up. I have told her several times that she's not allowed to go outside the palace."_

"_As for you, young lady," sneered the King, turning back to a trembling Mylene, "never ask me that question again. Never bring this up ever again. You will not ask me about going outside the palace and going to the city. Do I make myself clear, Mylene?" He narrowed his eyes at her. _

"_Father—"_

"_SHUT UP, STUPID GIRL!" roared the King, raising his hand and slapping Mylene across the face. The impact of the slap was so rough it left a visibly red hand mark across Mylene's cheek. Mylene couldn't help but let a tear escape from her eye and the Queen gasped in shock. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK BACK AT ME LIKE THAT!"_

"_Lucian, stop!" cried the Queen, grabbing his wrist before he could whack Mylene again. _

"_Don't get involved, Nora," spat the King angrily. _

"_You dare talk back to your father, Mylene? The King of Secretum? The King of this country?" growled the King, "I don't believe your lessons have taught you properly. I will have a word with your tutors tomorrow. Mylene, go to your room. Don't come down till tomorrow morning. Your mother will send Marion to deliver your dinner. Do you understand me, young lady?"_

"_Yes, Father," trembled Mylene, trying her best not to cry. She turned away and headed up to her room as her father commanded her to._

Mylene resented her father with a loathing hate. She thought he was a pompous, self-centered, arrogant twit. She never thought of him as a parental figure, despite calling him 'Father'. She only called him that because he ordered her to do so. She wanted to turn to her mother, the more caring and understanding of the two, but the King always wanted his wife by his side and she honestly couldn't do much. The Queen seemed to be afraid of her husband since she was so quiet, but Mylene was far from cowardly like her mother. She often stood up to her father, and whenever she did, she earned herself nothing but shouting and sometimes the occasional physical abuse. The only reason why Mylene dared to talk back at her father was because she deeply despised him.

_He thinks he can do whatever he wants because he's the King_, thought Mylene stubbornly, rolling her eyes, _he thinks he can hit me and abuse my mother and I because he's the King. He thinks just because he's in charge, he can do whatever he wants. I can't let him control my life forever. I've got to get away from this hellhole. Who knows what Father has in store for me in the near time future. _


	2. Do What You Have to Do

****Runaway****

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**Chapter 2: Do What You Have to Do**

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***Author's Note: I understand no one's paying any attention to the story because Randy hasn't been mentioned yet, but please do be patient, because I shall let you know unlike a majority of the stories, Randy does not appear in the story at the beginning. In fact, it will take maybe a couple more until he actually shows up.***

**I am SO SORRY for the super delayed update! For weeks, Fanfiction was being really, really, really stubborn and it wouldn't let me do anything except give me an error message whenever I tried to edit any of my stories, including this one...**

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"Miss Mylene! Miss Mylene! Your father requests you join him and your mother for breakfast!" called Marion, Mylene's nurse, knocking on the door rapidly.

Mylene tossed the covers aside and groaned, burying her face in her pillow. What did Father want now? All she wanted was to sleep in and get plenty of rest out of it, but no, her stupid devil father had to send Marion up to wake her up from her 'beauty sleep'.

"Mylene! Sweetie, wake up! Your father is expecting you immediately!" called Marion once again.

"I want to sleep, Marion…" groaned Mylene into the pillow. But Marion, despite her sweet and motherly nature, would not tolerate Mylene's stubbornness. She, without hesitation, opened the unlocked door (Mylene was sure she had locked it the previous night, though), and stormed into the room to find the golden-haired princess hiding her lovely face into her pillow.

"Mylene, sweetie, please don't disappoint your father," sighed Marion, gently shaking Mylene, "he has very important news for you."

"Marion, tell my father I'll get breakfast later," mumbled Mylene, refusing to glance up.

"Sweetie, you know your father—he's not exactly the patient type," said Marion, "I don't want him to yell at you and drive you to tears again like the last time it happened."

Marion had served as Mylene's nurse since the day she was born. She tended to Mylene's needs and nurtured the young princess while her parents were busy managing the country. With each day that passed, Marion witnessed Mylene growing more and more beautiful and mature each day, and she, unlike the King and Queen, did not believe in pressuring the crown princess into following traditions and customs she disliked—she, in her honest opinion, found these rituals to be absolutely ridiculous.

The fifty-something year old nurse was perhaps the closest friend Mylene had in the palace, and the young princess even considered her nurse her main parental figure, since Marion had been nothing but motherly and gentle to her. When the King shouted at Mylene, Marion was there to comfort her 'child'. When Mylene needed psychological advice, she always turned to Marion. Whenever she wanted to talk to someone, the first person she turned to was Marion. Mylene loved Marion like a mother—she was more of a mother to her than her real mother, anyway.

Mylene sighed and crawled out of bed, slowly dragging herself to the bathroom. Marion helped fetch her clothes, a simple yet pretty periwinkle blue dress made of a light, flowing material, despite knowing Mylene deeply despised dresses and skirts of all sizes, shapes, lengths, and styles.

"Marion, what does my _dear_ father wish to tell me?" asked Mylene, emphasizing sarcasm on the words 'dear father', after exiting the bathroom having cleaned up and changed.

"He didn't tell me, dear," replied Marion, fetching the hairbrush to comb Mylene's golden locks of angel hair, "he wants to announce it to you personally."

"That's what he always says," muttered Mylene, "he never tells me anything unless he wants to tell me."

"Sweetie, be patient," assured Marion, clipping Mylene's hair into a French braid and securing a pretty white rose into the side of her head with a bobby pin, "whatever it is your father wishes to break to you, I hope it's good news."

"Maybe he's finally going to let me go outside and play," replied Mylene, staring back into her reflection. Through the mirror, she noticed Marion had fetched the make-up kit and immediately became curious; Marion only took out the make-up kit only for special occasions.

"Marion, why did you take out the make-up box?" asked Mylene curiously, "is today's breakfast supposed to be some sort of special occasion?"

"Apparently so," answered Marion, shrugging her shoulders. She motioned for Mylene to close her eyes as she applied some mascara and just a bit of light eyeshadow and blush, "your father asked me to take out that dress you're wearing for you to wear as well, but he didn't say why. Maybe the news must be some big news."

"Must be," agreed Mylene softly. She thanked Marion, who led her out of the bedroom and to the dining hall, where her dreaded parents were waiting for her.

"Good, you're here," said King Akermann, not even bothering to wish his only daughter 'good morning', "it's about time, young lady. I suppose I should have a word with Marion and tell her to hurry up with getting you ready."

"Take a seat, Mylene, and have your breakfast. Your father has something important to say to you" said Queen Leonora, gesturing to the empty seat in front of her. She was just finishing her breakfast – grains with milk and fruit.

Mylene quickly sat down and grabbed a few pieces of whole grain toast and scrambled eggs. Her father cleared his throat disapprovingly when Mylene was just about to spread some jam on her toast.

"Lucian, let her eat before we tell her the news," said Queen Leonora gently to her husband. The King sighed and gave into his wife, giving his daughter a couple of minutes to eat.

_Why does he have to cough like that, like I did something wrong?_ Mylene thought stubbornly, as she consumed her breakfast as quickly as she could. Throughout the entire time, the King (she never thought of him as her father) was glaring at her sternly, shaking his head and tutting under his breath.

"Young lady, I believe you have forgotten your table manners," sighed the King disappointingly.

Mylene wanted to protest because her father had told her to hurry up and eat, yet now he was upset at her for 'forgetting her table manners'. _Screw table manners, I'm just eating quickly so you can tell me whatever this big news is_, thought Mylene. All she wanted to do was deliver such terrible torture to her so-called 'father', because he never seemed to be pleased with anything she does, no matter how hard she tried. It had been like this throughout her entire childhood, living under the hell of King Akermann.

"Good, you're finished," said the King, after Mylene had eaten, "now your mother and I have some major news for you, young lady."

"Mylene, please listen, this is very important," said the Queen gently to her daughter, who had begun fiddling with her fingers. Secretly, the Queen took pity on the daughter for being the main recipient of her husband's rants and stubborn temper, but all she could do was be soft and gentle to Mylene whenever the King was around; it was considered extremely rude in Akermann royalty for the Queen to talk back at her husband, the King.

"Yes, mother," replied Mylene, halting her movement. She was anxious to leave the dining room so she could get away from her devil of a father and unhelpful mother.

"Now Mylene, you have been of age for a very long time," began the King, "which means you are long overdue to marry for the crown."

Oblivious to the King and Queen, Mylene had no desire in succeeding her father for the crown. Because she was only Akermann of her generation, Mylene was the only one due in line for the crown, but there was one drawback—she was female, which meant she had to marry someone of either royal blood or high social status in order to fully ascend to the throne. But Mylene did not know of this yet.

"Father, why do I have to marry in order to be your successor to the throne?" asked Mylene curiously, hiding her distaste towards the fact that she was next in line to the Akermann throne, "I'm your daughter, aren't I?"

"Yes, Mylene, you are my only child," said the King, "unfortunately, there is a downside because you are my only _female_ child."

"What does being female have to do with having a problem with me ascending to the throne?" asked Mylene.

"Because you are the sole heir to the throne and you are female, the rule is that you must marry someone outside of our family who is either a prince from another kingdom or a citizen of the highest class," replied the King. Mylene's blue eyes widened.

"In other words, Mylene, you can only marry either a prince, a noble, or a lord," added the Queen.

Mylene didn't care what kind of man she was supposed to marry—she didn't want to marry at all. She just wanted to live her live to the fullest by (hopefully) someday exploring outside the palace walls and finding love and happiness.

"But there's no need to worry about that, young lady," said the King, interrupting Mylene's thoughts, "because we've found someone for you, a lord, actually. He's the wealthiest lord in all of Secretum. His name is Dave Batista."

Mylene shuddered upon the thought of having to marry someone she had never met in her life, especially this Dave Batista person. Why had her parents decided to set her up with some lord whom she had never even _heard_ of in her life?

"Lord Batista lost his wife in a tragic accident a couple of years ago, and we think he would be the perfect match for you, Mylene," said the King, "he's a nobleman of high class and comes from a very privileged background. You'll like him very much, Mylene—he's got a castle not too far from the town and has plenty of luxuries that you'll enjoy very much."

Mylene didn't care if the guy lost his wife in a 'tragic accident'. She didn't care if he came from a wealthy family. She didn't care if he had a big castle that had everything he liked; over her dead body would she walk down the aisle with a stranger whom she hadn't even met in person yet.

"Mylene? What do you think?" asked the King, narrowing his eyes at her. Although the impetuous princess wanted to defy her father's wishes and quarrel with him over the stupidity of this betrothal, Mylene knew arguing wasn't going to get her anywhere. She didn't want to start another shouting match with her father—he'd most likely throw her into the dungeons if she displayed any opposition towards the proposal.

"He sounds like an interesting person, Father," fibbed Mylene, concealing her atrocity towards the arranged marriage her parents set her up with, "I'd like to meet him someday."

_I'd like to meet this Batista person so I can call off the wedding and give him a piece of my mind_, thought Mylene to herself.

"Perfect!" said the King delightfully.

_Eugh, what is there to laugh about, the idiot, _pondered Mylene, _I'm forced to be the wife of some lord person I haven't even met yet, and my father is being happy about this. There is seriously something wrong with him. _

"Your mother and I have invited Lord Batista over for lunch this afternoon," continued the King, "therefore, I expect you to be in the house by half past twelve, cleaned up, scrubbed, and dressed appropriately. I do not want you visiting the garden until Batista has left; you can't afford to embarrass yourself and make him assume you are a ragamuffin with all the dirt on your dress and the sweat on your face. You may not engage in activities that may defile your appearance. I will send Marion up at noon to remind you in advance. You are now dismissed, Mylene."

Once she left the dining room, Mylene trod back to her room, sulking miserably. She threw herself onto the bed and sobbed uncontrollably into her pillow as soon as she summoned her bedroom door shut. She couldn't believe what she had just heard from her father. She couldn't believe the 'delightful' news he'd brought to her. She couldn't believe neither one of her parents cared what she really felt when she heard those 'news'.

She was arranged to marry a lord—a complete stranger. Mylene was furious at her parents' decision to betroth her to a man that she'd never met in her life, a man she hardly even knew. Her biggest fear was about to come true – her fear of being forever tied to her royal background, and from the looks of the situation at the moment, it appeared as though all her hopes and dreams of breaking free were going to be lost. Everything she had dreamed of would vanish just like that, when she weds Lord Batista and becomes his wife. She hadn't met the guy met, but she had a funny feeling she would never have a chance of experiencing reality ever again.

Mylene's thoughts clashed with one another as she continued to shed tears into her pillow, ignoring the smudged make-up escaping through her tears.

_My life is over_, thought the Mylene who had lost confidence and cut off all belief in faith, _I have to marry that damned man and my life will be over. I might as well say goodbye to all my hopes and dreams of ever breaking out of this palace and experiencing reality. _

The other side of Mylene's thoughts, however, thought differently. _No, I can't marry Lord Batista. My father can't tell me what to do any longer; I'm twenty-three years old, for heaven's sake. I'm not a child anymore; I can make my own decisions. Just because I'm the first in line to the throne, doesn't mean he can boss me around like I'm his slave. I am his daughter, not a servant. Why can't he just realize that I don't want to marry the guy purely because of some stupid ancient law that our ancestors for some reason cursed upon me? Why can't he realize that if I were to marry, I would marry for love, not for power?_

The debate thundering in Mylene's ears drove her to tears; she couldn't think properly with these conflicting thoughts in her head.

"Princess!" Marion's call from other side of the door followed with frantic knocking, "Mylene? Dear, are you there?"

"I'm in here, Marion," moaned Mylene softly. Thankfully, Marion was a woman of sharp ears and opened the door. She hurriedly rushed over Mylene's bedside and sat her up. She gasped upon the sight of her darling princess, her cheeks flushed and her eyes reddened, while her make-up was smudged messily. Her hair had also come out of its elegant braid and now it was disheveled and out-of-place.

"Oh my God, dear, what happened?" exclaimed Marion, after frantically rushing over to the bathroom and fetching a wet towel so she could wipe off the smudged make-up from Mylene's face. Mylene threw her arms around Marion and sobbed.

"I can't do this…"

"Can't do what, sweetie?" asked Marion worriedly, stroking Mylene's hair softly and gently, trying to comfort her and calm her down.

"I can't marry that man, Marion! I can't marry a stranger!" wailed Mylene, "I'm only twenty-three!"

"Is that what the big news your father wanted to deliver was?" asked Marion. The miserable princess nodded, "who did he arrange for you to marry, my dear?"

"Some lord guy named Dave Batista," replied Mylene, "I don't care if he's rich or has a big house with everything he could possibly have; I'm not marrying him!"

"Have you met him yet?"

"No…"

"Sweetie, then how can you decide whether you like him or not? You haven't even met the guy yet," said Marion.

"But Marion, marrying this guy will mean my life is completely over!" protested Mylene, "everything I've wanted for so long has to be taken away by this out-of-the-blue arranged marriage!"

Besides a motherly figure, Marion had been Mylene's counselor, listening patiently as Mylene poured out all of her thoughts and feelings consistently going through her mind. Several times before, Marion was always there to comfort Mylene and give her guidance. She knew every single thing about Mylene that even the King and Queen didn't know.

"Marion, I know you've heard this over and over again, but I've dreamed of breaking free of the constraints of royalty and breaking out the palace, just to venture into the outside world," sniffled Mylene quietly, "for years I've dreamed of experiencing reality, just like every single normal citizen of Secretum. I've dreamed of doing things that everyday citizens do, like taking long walks and going on adventures. But now, all of my hopes and dreams of ever being normal have been destroyed. I don't know what to do, Marion, you have to help me. I can't live under this roof any longer. I hate my life! I hate this life! I hate being a damned princess who's forced to marry a damned lord!"

"Calm down, princess, and please listen to me," hushed Marion. She had heard Mylene rant about the same complaints over and over again, but patient Marion knew how badly Mylene was suffering from the dying want she craved for her entire life. She was empathetic towards the restrictions Mylene had been forced to live under for her entire life. She completely understood the princess's absence of freedom and happiness, the lack of warmth and contentment she received from her less-than-attentive parents.

_The poor girl just needs some love and joy to bring into her life; it's such a pity her parents worry more about the country than they care about their own daughter,_ thought Marion, as she held the distressed maiden close in her embrace, _oh, if only I could have a word with those uncaring, selfish monarchs who call themselves her parents. They should honestly consider at least spending a bit of time with her, take her out to a carnival or something, instead of keeping her cooped up in this damned prison she is forced to call her home. _

"Mylene, my dear, I know you hate being a princess," said Marion, "I know you hate palace life. I know you hate living under the roof of your parents who don't appear to care about you. But as much as you and I both would love to, neither one of us can do anything about that. We can't argue with your father as much as we'd love nothing more than to protest his decision to betroth you to this lord. I'm so sorry, Mylene, I'm so sorry you're forced to go through all this even though you don't want to."

"I just don't understand why my parents just don't want to listen to me speak my mind," sobbed Mylene, "I'm sick of them treating me this way. All my father does is yell at me and criticize for everything I do and my mother doesn't do anything but sit there and follow along with his word like she doesn't have a mind of her own. Why can't they just let me be normal and let me go outside and adventure?"

"I honestly don't know why they are so hesitant in allowing you to step outside the palace walls, sweetie," sighed Marion, "but whatever it is, you still have to follow your father's orders—after all, he is the king."

"Just because he's the king of Secretum doesn't mean he governs my life, Marion," argued Mylene, "he thinks he can make all the decisions for me and slip away before I can express my opinion on the decisions he makes. Most of the time, those decisions are ones that I particularly dislike."

"Mylene, dear, stay strong," advised Marion, "perhaps you could try and convince your father to pull you out of the arrangement."

"I wouldn't bet on it, Marion; even if I did try and convince my father to call off the wedding, I still wouldn't be entirely home free either," replied Mylene, shaking her head, "even if I do somehow manage to persuade my father to cancel the engagement, I'll still be confined to these damned barriers of royalty."

Marion let out a hopeless sigh. "Oh Mylene, I honestly wish I could help you, I really do," whispered Marion, "but if I disobey my orders, your father will have not just I, but the both of us thrown into prison."

Mylene's heart sank. Prison was much, much worse than what she was living in at the moment. She'd heard about the palace dungeon prisons of Secretum – they were absolutely dreadful. Pests swarmed the muddy, gravel grounds of the cells, and the prisoners suffered awfully, their living conditions so foul and unhygienic it drove them crazy. Mylene winced upon the thought of being completely blocked off from sunlight and fresh air.

"I suppose I should be grateful for what I have for now," breathed Mylene, sitting up straight and pushing her hair back away from her tear-stained face, "but I'll eventually think of something that'll free me from my future marriage and this horrible incarceration I called my home for the past 23 years."

"Good girl," said Marion, helping Mylene get up from the bed and cleaning her up again, fetching a pretty dress from the closet and the makeup kit to give the princess a makeover.

_Someday, I'll be free from this palace, _thought Mylene, as Marion redid her hair and make up to get ready for lunch, _someday, I'll think of a plan that'll get me out of here. Someday, it's going to happen. Someday, I'll bid farewell to royalty and finally be free of all the constraints of being a princess. Oh, I hope that day will come soon!_

"Come darling," said Marion, slowly escorting Mylene, who was clutching onto her arm tightly and nervously, "let's go and do what you have to do."


	3. Betrothal

****Runaway****

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**Chapter 3: Betrothal**

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***Author's Note: Another chapter of 'Runaway' is up! Nothing more to say besides that...***

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Apprehensively, Mylene crept out of her bedroom, her hand still clutched tightly onto Marion's forearm. Her father, the King, requested her down to the dining room to meet her arranged fiancé. Mylene outwardly protested the betrothal, but inside, she was trembling like a sick animal. Who was this Dave Batista person? She had never seen him before; hell, she hadn't even _heard_ of him once in her life! She wondered how her ancestors had managed being sent off to strangers and living with them, bound to them for the rest of their lives.

Although Mylene was far from shy and withdrawn, she was extremely hesitant in meeting Lord Batista. She didn't know the man's age, she didn't know what he was like, she had no clue about any of his interests, she didn't even know where he came from; all she knew was that he was a lord of an opulent upbringing, and for some stupid—in Mylene's opinion, of course—reason, her parents felt this man was most suitable to be a husband to her. She had heard of the reputations of several lords in the country—cocky, supercilious, womanizing yet sexist _arseholes_; she feared Dave Batista was not too different from those low-class _wankers_ who called themselves men. She feared he was going to treat her like she was a dog; a trait she greatly abhorred about the men of Secretum. They were sexist and always thought of themselves as gods; this was perhaps one of the main reasons why Mylene refused to marry anyone her father handpicked for her.

With each step she took towards the dining room where her parents and Lord Batista were waiting, Mylene became more and more nervous about meeting her soon-to-be husband. What kind of future would be in store for her when she marries him? There were too many questions buzzing through Mylene's head.

As Mylene and Marion made their way down the grand staircase, the princess spotted her father chatting with what looked like a man dressed in a modern, expensively cut dress shirt and jeans. He appeared to be quite tall, his head shaved, his eyes shielded by a pair of sunglasses, and his build was extremely muscular, especially at his grapefruit-sized biceps. Mylene wondered if this man was her father's new personal trainer or something—he was far too buff to be a nobleman.

"Ah, Mylene!" exclaimed the King, noticing his daughter had arrived. The man whom he was conversing with snapped his head towards Mylene. "You're in just in time. We were just about to head to the dining room and—Marion you may leave us—wait for your arrival. Come on, let's go join your mother—ah, I almost forgot! Dave, meet my lovely daughter, Mylene. Mylene, this is Lord David Batista."

Dave took off his shades and examined the beauty standing before him; from her fairytale princess blonde hair flowing past her shoulders and down to her waist, to the delicate features of her porcelain doll complexion, she was truly magnificent.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady," rumbled Batista, grasping Mylene's hand into his large palm and kissing the back of her palm. Mylene shivered slightly when her skin brushed against his rough stubble.

"Charmed, sir," replied Mylene.

When the King ushered the two of them towards the dining room, Dave couldn't help but fix his attention onto Mylene's perfectly feminine figure, her hips swaying side to side as she walked. When Mylene took her place on the seat in front of him at the dining table, Dave's eyes darted to her breasts pressing against the confines of her dress. _She'd definitely make a hot wife_, thought Dave gleefully, finding it difficult tearing his eyes away from the beautiful princess.

Realizing Lord Batista hadn't taken his eyes off of her since their first introduction back in the foyer by the grand staircase, Mylene felt rather uncomfortable under his stare. Through appetizers and even past dessert, Dave was still watching her with that same smile that looked more like a smirk to her on his face. She was so busy feeling conscious under Dave's watch, she hadn't paid any attention to her parents' conversation with Dave. Even when he chatted with her parents, Dave still kept his eyes on Mylene, and Mylene wasn't quite contented with the way he was looking at her.

"Ah, that was a lovely meal!" boomed the King, snapping Mylene out of her deep thoughts, "Dave, we can discuss the wedding arrangements later. Why don't you take my daughter out for a lovely walk in the garden? You know where it is; you've been here quite a few times before."

"Of course, your majesty, perhaps your daughter and I should get a little acquainted before we wed," replied Dave, grinning slyly at Mylene, who was more than ready to dart back up to her room and lock herself up for the rest of her life. She smiled weakly at him in return.

"Mylene?" said the King, narrowing his eyes at his daughter. He did not want his only child to embarrass him in front of a noble, respected lord.

"That sounds like a great idea," replied Mylene softly. Secretly, she thought her father was crazy for suggesting that awful idea. Now she was going to be all by herself with Lord Batista, whom she thought looked as though he belonged in a prison rather than a castle.

_Hopefully, he won't try and pull anything funny on me within these palace walls, _thought Mylene, shuddering, _who knows what men like him could do to little old me._

Mylene turned to get up from her seat and nearly leapt ten feet when she almost collided into the 6'6'' burly figure of the nobleman. Dave couldn't help but smile at her; he couldn't help but admit she was quite a cutie. He propped his elbow towards her and she reluctantly took his arm; her hand was extremely minuscule compared to his massive bicep.

"May I address you by your given name, sweetie?" asked Dave, as they began walking towards the garden.

"Sure," replied Mylene softly, trying not to look at him.

"Mylene," said Dave in a low, husky voice, unhooking his arm from Mylene's hand and slipping it around her waist, pulling her in closer, "a sexy name for a very sultry young lady."

Mylene bit her bottom lip tautly, silently praying she could disappear at that very second. Somehow, however, no matter how hard she tried, she still found herself attached to the massive lord who reeked the overdosing scent of cologne.

"So _Mylene_," Dave slurred her name with obvious sexual desire. He walked her over to a bench and sat down, gesturing for her to sit on his lap. Mylene shook her head politely but sat next to him. Dave wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close within his grasp, "tell me about yourself. I would like to know what my beautiful fiancée likes and what she enjoys."

All Mylene wanted to do was to tell Dave to shove it and call off the engagement. But she knew doing so would only land her up in the dungeon prison—that was her father's threat if she refused to comply with his arrangements.

"I've lived in the palace for my entire life," began Mylene, as Dave took a lock of her hair and began playing with it, "it's quite nice but sometimes a bit lonely. I often keep myself company in my room drawing from my bedroom window and sometimes I do step out for fresh air and talk to the gardeners—"

Mylene jumped in her seat when she felt Dave's face buried in her hair, nuzzling the side of her neck. She wasn't sure if she was comfortable being with Dave any longer. If he was this touchy-feely at their first meeting, she didn't want to know where else he would touch her once they were married.

"Wh-wha-what are you doing?" stammered Mylene, feeling trapped in Dave's hold.

"Your scent is so heavenly, my dear," replied Dave, continuing to play with Mylene's blonde locks.

"Th-th-thank you," replied Mylene nervously. Dave pulled back and smiled at her wickedly.

"You will enjoy my manor in the countryside, which will soon become yours as well," said Dave, "I have plenty of things you can do there to spend your time, so you won't be as bored as you claim to be in this palace. With me, my fiancée, you will never be bored, I guarantee you. We will most definitely spend lots of quality time together as soon as we are married."

"Sir…" began Mylene.

"Call me Dave, my dear," corrected Dave.

"_Dave_, I understand we are betrothed, but we don't know each other very well," said Mylene. Although Mylene wanted nothing more than to tell Dave to shove it and call off the engagement, she had to go along with getting to know her arranged fiancé in fear that Dave would report to her father and result in her getting thrown into prison like a convict.

"And that is exactly why we are taking the time to get to know each other, Mylene," replied Dave, caressing her cheek. Mylene gently lowered his hand and asked him to tell a bit about himself. Perhaps she could find out more about him—his age, where he came from, and what kind of person he was.

_I may not know how old he is or what his favorite dessert is, but I already know what kind of husband I am going to end up with; an arrogant, cocky, thick-headed douche, _thought Mylene.

"I was raised to be a knight, as at the time, it was necessary for all young boys to be trained into knighthood," said Dave, "at the age of twenty, I was knighted by your father and served as an elite officer in the army. As an honorary knight of the royal family, I served to seek and destroy every single damned Magus lurking these holy lands. Do you know who the Magi are, my dear?"

Mylene shook her head.

"They are creatures who appear as human, but their blood is magic," explained Dave, "for centuries they have been terrorized this kingdom using their supernatural abilities, therefore one of the King's duties is to seek and destroy every single one of them, wipe their paranormal presence out from the face of this country. Fortunately the situation has calmed down since about two decades ago, when I was one of those who wiped out the last of the Magi. Despite their seemingly complete elimination, however, we must still keep watch of any remaining Magi, because their traits are not acquired through inheritance. Anyone could be a Magus."

This sent a rush of panic through Mylene's mind.

_They are creatures who appear as human, but their blood is magic. _

Mylene realized she herself was a Magus, and to make the situation more complicated, she was betrothed to marry one of the most famed Magi hunters of all time. Her heart dropped into her stomach with a thump.

She needed to flee this palace. She needed to flee this damned confinement of palace life. She needed to get away from this hell, where she could be discovered, and then flogged and killed by her future husband.

"How long did you serve in the army?" she asked, stammering slightly.

"I served as one of your father's knights until about ten years ago, when I suffered a knee injury and could no longer perform my duties," said Dave, "I was about thirty years old then."

Mylene's eyes widened in shock. Not only was Dave a Magi hunter, but also he, her fiancé, was nearly twice her age. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Amazing, isn't it?" chuckled Dave, planting a kiss on her neck (Mylene reminded herself to wash that spot as soon as Dave was gone), "I was your father's most commended knight. After my injury, he approved of me becoming a lord and helping him manage the country's welfare and general safety. Throughout my entire life, and even till this day, your father and I still keep in close contact."

Mylene nodded without saying a word; she was now too frightened to dare look the lord in the eye. He could potentially kill her if he finds out she possesses magic in her blood. _Who knows what torturous things he could do to me when he realizes I can make objects levitate_, thought Mylene, shuddering, a flashback suddenly recreating itself in her mind…

_Four-year-old Mylene Akermann stood by the balcony outside her bedroom, playing with her stuffed rainbow unicorn, making it gallop along the edge of the railing of the balcony. She had wanted to play with her unicorn outside of her bedroom and make it skip across the railing, but she was far too short. When she walked outside, however, she found a stool she had never seen before in her life sitting beside the railing of her balcony. Shrugging, she laughed with joy and excitedly sprinted towards that chair, the nest of blonde curls on the top of her head bouncing as she ran towards the balcony railing. _

_What young Mylene doesn't realize is one of the stool's legs disappear suddenly, and the unbalance causes Mylene to stumble off the chair, accidentally letting go of her toy unicorn._

"_NOOOOOOO!" cries Mylene, her hand outstretched towards the falling unicorn. She is about to burst into tears when all of a sudden, the unicorn stops falling, but it was still hovering in mid-air. Slowly, it floats back up towards her. _

"_Huh?" said Mylene curiously, her hand still stretched towards the unicorn. She stares peculiarly at the unicorn as it floats back up to her balcony, glides towards her, and then lands back into her hand gracefully. _

"_MYLENE!" boomed her father's voice from outside her bedroom door, causing Mylene to gasp in surprise. _

"_I'm—I'm coming, Daddy!" stammered Mylene, running towards the door to answer it. _

"_I heard you shouting from downstairs," explained the King, "did something happen?"_

"_N-n-n-n-no…" stuttered Mylene._

"_Well don't shout like that anymore, young lady," scolded her father, "I keep thinking you've either broken or dropped something whenever you make a noise. Now I must get back to my conference."_

"_Daddy? Don't you want to play with me?" squeaked Mylene._

"_I've told you a hundred times before, Mylene, I'm busy," the King rejected his daughter's offer, "I'm a king, but that doesn't mean I can play all the time like you. I'm far from being three years old."_

"_I'm four!" corrected Mylene._

"_You get my point, young lady," snapped the King, turning his back away from his daughter, "why don't you find Marion? I'm sure she'll be more than happy to play with you."_

"_But I already played with Marion this morning!" whined Mylene._

"_Stop complaining, silly girl, and leave your mother and I to finish up our work," said the King, "we shall see you at dinner seven thirty sharp. I shall send Marion so you won't be late like the last time."_

"_I wasn't late!" _

"_I don't have time for a chat, Mylene, I have to go back to my conference!" exclaimed the King impatiently before slamming Mylene's bedroom door shut. _

_Mylene let out a sigh when her father finally left. __**I'm not going to tell him about my unicorn, **__thought Mylene, __**he doesn't have the time for it anyway.**_

"When your father was in search of a suitable husband for his beautiful daughter, he turned to me, after turning down several proposals from men vying for a spot on the throne beside you," said Dave, "he knew I had the potential to be a king and a husband to you, my sweet Mylene, so I was chosen by your father to be your fiancé."

Dave realized Mylene was not looking at him, but rather down at her anxiously fiddling fingers. He couldn't help but find himself attracted to the innocent and naïve aura she was giving away. He knew she was shy, but her shyness was becoming a major turn-on. He felt her shiver nervously and he chuckled softly; he couldn't help but take in her stunning beauty.

"Oh, are you cold, darling?" whispered Dave, pulling Mylene closer to him till she was nearly sitting on his lap. Mylene shook her head, refusing to give him an answer. He could sense her stubbornness, but Lord Batista was a patient man. He was going to be patient with the beautiful princess. It was the gentleman's protocol, of course, something he'd been brought up with as a child. He cupped Mylene's chin in his much larger palm and turned her to look towards him. He loved the way her eyes were lowered slightly, her long, dark eyelashes casting shadows on her rosy cheeks.

"My sweet Mylene," Dave purred. He leaned in to intoxicate himself with her scent and Mylene's eyes shot open, the princess gasping in surprise at how close Dave was, "You are quite a kitten."

Mylene had no idea how to answer to Dave's suggestive remarks towards her. She was not comfortable with the way he was flirting with her. Sure, Mylene had encountered several men attempting to charm her, but never in her life had she dealt with anyone as touchy-feely as Lord Batista. This man was just pushing her much too far with his 'debonair' gestures.

Dave leaned in, his large nose almost touching Mylene's, their lips just inches away. Mylene winced slightly as she caught the unpleasant smell of tobacco from Dave's heavy panting. Over her dead body would she touch her lips with a tobacco smoker.

"So hot," murmured Dave seductively, pursing his lips.

_Please don't, please don't, _pleaded Mylene secretly, _it's only the first day and you're already trying to kiss me…_

"MYLENE!" boomed her father's voice from nearby, "Mylene! Where are you?"

Mylene jumped in her seat, falling out of Dave's grasp. For the first time in her life, she wanted her father's presence. Reluctantly, Dave let go of Mylene and rested his arm on the bench, as he did not want to get caught feeling up the king's daughter at their first meeting.

"Ah! Dave! There you are!" exclaimed King Akermann, who had just appeared from around the corner, "I hope you and my daughter got acquainted through all that time you spent together."

_Acquainted? _Mylene though bewilderedly, _all he did was brag about being your pet and then trying to kiss me with his disgusting tobacco breath, thank you very much._

"We did, sir," replied Dave, getting up from the bench, "your daughter is such a sweet young lady. I would love nothing more than for her to be my wife."

"Excellent," said the king, grinning, "Mylene, I would live to have a chat with your fiancé, if you don't mind."

Mylene, still speechless, nodded and quickly fled the scene, the first stop being her bedroom. All she wanted to do was get away from that horrible man, Dave. She flung the doors open to her bedroom and threw her arms around Marion, who happened to be putting away some of her laundry. She buried her face in Marion's chest, sobbing as hard as she could. She cast soundproofing charms before bawling her eyes out.


	4. The Plan

****Runaway****

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**Chapter 4: The Plan**

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***Author's Note: Sorry if it's such a short chapter, but I guarantee it'll be slightly longer in the next one. Also, I'm quite sure you all are wondering where the heck Randy is, and I will assure you he will make his appearance very, very soon.***

* * *

"_Ah! Dave! There you are!" exclaimed King Akermann, who had just appeared from around the corner, "I hope you and my daughter got acquainted through all that time you spent together."_

_**Acquainted? **__Mylene though bewilderedly, __**all he did was brag about being your pet and then trying to kiss me with his disgusting tobacco breath, thank you very much.**_

"_We did, sir," replied Dave, getting up from the bench, "your daughter is such a sweet young lady. I would love nothing more than for her to be my wife."_

"_Excellent," said the king, grinning, "Mylene, I would live to have a chat with your fiancé, if you don't mind."_

_Mylene, still speechless, nodded and quickly fled the scene, the first stop being her bedroom. All she wanted to do was get away from that horrible man, Dave. She flung the doors open to her bedroom and threw her arms around Marion, who happened to be putting away some of her laundry. She buried her face in Marion's chest, sobbing as hard as she could. She cast soundproofing charms before bawling her eyes out._

Mylene couldn't believe the horrible experience she had just been through. There were so many traits and characteristics about Dave; she couldn't even look at him and think of him as her soon-to-be husband. She couldn't believe she was going to be marrying that man – 40 something years old, a former knight and her father's pet, and worst of all, a famed Magi hunter. She found marrying a man nearly twice her age disgusting, her father's knights were all cocky and arrogant bastards, and Dave being a Magi hunter petrified her.

Since unintentionally saving her toy unicorn from falling off her balcony when she was four, Mylene knew she possessed powers of a Magus, a human who had magic in their blood. How she knew about Magi was not from her medievalist parents, but rather, from her homeschool tutor, Dalton. Dalton, aside from Marion, was one of her only few connections to the outside world. He taught her everything he knew, and that included the history of the persecution of Magi that has dated back hundreds of years ago. Because her father deeply detested the Magi and did whatever he could to exterminate them, Mylene constantly lived in fear, as she was afraid her parents would somehow discover she had magic powers and throw her into the dungeons without hesitation.

As a result, Mylene was forced to keep her powers in secret, only using them when no one was around. When her father sent her up to bed with no dinner after another shouting match, she would secretly summon a plate of her favorite dish. When she woke up with a terrible headache, she would simply cure it by tapping her forehead twice. When she ran out of paints, she would simply refill them and continue painting on the canvas she also summoned out of nowhere.

But Mylene had to conceal every single hint that could possibly giveaway her secret. She couldn't change her style of clothing because her father would get suspicious and ask her where she got her clothes. She couldn't change herself out of that typical fairytale princess look she so unfortunately inherited from her useless mother because her father would throw her into the prison anyway. Life was difficult with the restrictions Mylene was forced to place upon herself, but she knew it was for her own good.

It was going to be even more difficult trying to hide her supernatural abilities from Lord Batista, though. Mylene heard of several Magi hunters who acquired a skill to detect any hint of Magi activity within twenty feet of them, even if that Magus were to be hidden and using their powers in secret. What if she accidentally used them when Dave was near her? Surely, Dave would take no mercy on her, even if she were going to be his wife. To Mylene, all Magi hunters were cold and ruthless, and took no mercy on anyone who was a Magus. A Magus getting married to a Magi hunter was just as forbidden as committing murder. To Mylene, it was the only tragedy worse than death.

Mylene threw her arms around Marion, crying tears of fear and misery. Marion could only assume the young princess's first meeting with Dave did not go well for her, as she held her close, rocking her gently side to side, trying to hush her.

"You look devastated, my dear," whispered Marion, quickly locking the door and shutting the windows.

"Marion, I'm living in a nightmare," moaned Mylene, excessive tears raining down her cheeks.

"Was he that bad?" asked Marion, wondering if Dave had done something to her that made her upset.

"He didn't seem as horrible as I thought at first when my father introduced us to each other," answered Mylene, trembling as she wept, "but it only stayed that way for the first ten seconds. After that it was pure hell."

"How is it pure hell, Mylene?"

"First of all, he kept staring at me throughout the entire lunch…"

"I wouldn't blame him, my dear; after all, you are a very beautiful young lady," chuckled Marion softly.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Marion," snapped Mylene. Marion apologized and allowed Mylene to continue.

"After we finished lunch, Father suggested Dave and I get to know each other better in the garden, and as soon as we were out of my parents' sight, Dave started to get very, and I mean _extremely_, flirty with me," continued Mylene, "he was very, very touchy-feely. He wrapped his arm around my waist, led me over to a bench, wanted me to sit on his lap but I refused, and so he made sure I was as close to him as possible. After that, he asked me to tell him a bit about myself, and as I was doing that, out of nowhere, he just puts his big fat head into my neck and starts sniffing my hair. Not to mention him kissing my neck and later trying to kiss me until my father called for me. I was quite sure he put sexual innuendos in every single compliment he was trying to give me."

"Is that it?" asked Marion.

"No, the worst part is when he started telling me all about his _wonderful_ life story," answered Mylene, emphasizing the sarcasm on 'wonderful', "he served as a knight for the royal family, apparently until ten years ago, when he suffered an injury that would prevent him from serving my father's army any longer. He was thirty, Marion; _thirty_! And that's not the only part that freaked me out—he's a Magi hunter as well. Marion, I can't marry a Magi hunter! He'll kill me as soon as he finds out I'm one of them!"

Marion was the only person in the palace aware of Mylene's special abilities, and not once had she told anyone, not even her fellow co-workers. She was completely flabbergasted to hear that Mylene's fiancé was not only nearly twice her age, but a huge threat to her life as well. She couldn't believe the nightmare this young child was forced to undergo, when she already had little to no personal freedom. Marion believed the conservative rituals and traditions of the royal family were much too harsh on Mylene, but now she thought this arranged marriage just crossed the line, especially because of whom Mylene was betrothed to wed.

"I don't believe it," gasped Marion softly, her eyes bulging in anger. How could the king do such a thing to his only daughter? How could he simply send her off to a man who could potentially kill her? _Giving her away to Lord Batista was just as unforgivable as murder,_ thought Marion, _the girl has got to get out of this hell she called her home for her entire life._

"Dear child, what are you going to do?" asked Marion. She already felt sorry for the princess, and now she wanted nothing more than to save her out of this misery.

"I don't know if I can do anything about it," sobbed Mylene, "but I can't marry that bastard! He'll kill me as soon as he finds out I can make things fly! He's a Magi hunter! He won't have mercy on any Magi, not even his future wife!"

Normally, Marion would tell Mylene to hush and dry her tears, but this was an exception. The girl had every right to bawl her eyes out because of the distressed dilemma.

"My dear, I would love nothing more than to have a word with your father about this outrageous decision and knock some sense into his head," said Marion angrily.

"He'll kill you, Marion!" exclaimed Mylene.

"I don't care," argued Marion, "that man calls himself your father yet he has showered you with anything but happiness…"

"I believe that's the least of his concerns, Marion," grumbled Mylene, her voice muffled, "I'm forced to call him my father because he's the damn King and thinks he has all the damn power in his hands…"

"Mylene, we've got to stop ranting about everything that's making your life miserable and find a solution to this," interrupted Marion.

"I can only think of one simple plan, Marion," said Mylene, "and that is a plan that I've longed to carry out for years."

"And what is that plan, my dear?" asked Marion curiously. Mylene glanced up, her blue eyes glossy and filled with confidence.

"I must bid farewell to this hellhole I called my home and never return again," replied Mylene softly.

Marion gasped. "Princess! You can't!"

"You're the one who said I have to stop whining and start fixing the problem, Marion," Mylene pointed out, "and this is how I'm going to fix my life back to how it should be. I'm going to make the life that I dreamed of for years come true. Unlike in the past, when I was just a kid, I'm going to do something about it. I'm not going to let my father control me anymore because I'm a full-grown adult and I can make my own decisions. And my decision is to run away from this damned palace so I can free myself from that bastard I'm marrying and from that asshole who calls himself my father."

Marion was silent for a few moments. To her, running away from the palace was going to be a huge risk for the young princess. The girl hardly knew anything about the outside world, as she had not experienced it for herself just yet. Although a small voice in her head told her it was the right thing for Mylene to do, Marion feared Mylene's inexperience could get herself killed.

"Mylene, I guess it could be a descent idea…"

"It's a _brilliant_ idea, Marion," interrupted Mylene stubbornly, "I think it's a brilliant idea because I'm going to get myself out of this hell I've lived in for years. I won't have to marry that son of a bitch Batista. I'll finally be free of my father and free to do whatever I want. I'll finally have the freedom I'd been deprived of for my entire life."

"Mylene, my dear, I completely agree with you, but at the same time, I'm also very worried," expressed Marion, "how will you take care of yourself? Where will you go? Your father will go ballistic if you disappear just like that. He's going to send the entire army just to look for you. You can't put yourself at such a huge risk! The King could have you put into prison if you get caught!"

"Then I'll just have to make sure nobody can find me," replied Mylene confidently, "I just need to find the right time to put my plan into action."


	5. Tonight

****Runaway****

* * *

**Chapter 5: Tonight**

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***Author's Note: I own everything in this story except Batista and Randy Orton, who will eventually make his grand appearance in the story. Yes, when I say everything, I also mean the alternate universe and the kingdom of Secretum, Mylene, Marion, the king and queen, the random bush in the palace garden…and yes I also mean the random bush in the garden :)***

* * *

Mylene had been anxious to put her plan into action, but for days, she couldn't seem to find the right time to execute it. She noticed palace guards surrounded the entire vicinity during the day, and even then, there was a moat surrounding the first half of the building and after that, massive walls that activated force fields late at night to prevent anyone from trespassing. Mylene only realized how heavily guarded this fortress was, and discovered running away from the palace may not be such an easy task after all.

_But I have to find a way to get out of here somehow, _thought Mylene, _how am I going to get away without alerting the guards or activating the alarm by contacting the force field on those massive walls?_

Each day, Mylene thought of various plans to try and avoid the guards. Even with a way to get past the guards, there was still that force field to get past. If one were to attempt to break that force field, the alarm would immediately sound and every single guard would be alerted to the position where that one person tried to break in through. Mylene struggled to think of a single possible perfect plan that would help her get past that damned force field. One single flaw could send her a guaranteed ticket to the prisons.

But Mylene grew impatient as the days slowly trod by. At every single meal, she couldn't bear to listen to her father rambling on and on about plans for the engagement party _and_ the wedding ceremony, and to only make the torture worse, her fiancé, Lord Dave Batista visited the palace nearly every single day and she honestly couldn't _stand_ him. Whenever they were alone together he would waste no time in trying to feel her up in the most uncomfortable places. Often he would pull her into his lap and kiss her neck while he either snuck his hand up her skirt or squeezed the side of her breast. And as much as Mylene wished she could, she couldn't swat his itchy fingers away from her most intimate body parts because she was afraid he'd report to her father and have her thrown into the prison.

Mylene honestly wasn't sure if Dave really was interested in her at all. It didn't seem as though Dave genuinely cared about her at all, much to her relief. However, from what she'd observed from their many conversations, Dave seemed more interested in her figure rather than her interests. Whenever Dave was always there for a meal, she always made sure to cover herself up as much as possible to hide anything appealing to Dave's wandering eyes. Although she detested the man as deeply as she detested her father, she wished Dave wouldn't think of her simply as a pretty toy he could play with all day and night. She absolutely _hated_ men like Dave Batista. Men who believed they could do whatever they wanted with pretty girls like her. Men who took great pleasure in seducing pretty girls like her. Men who were cocky, arrogant dickheads who enjoyed reveling the perfect female form, unable to keep their slimy hands to themselves. And to make matters worse, Dave was twice her age and a Magi hunter. All Mylene wanted to do was shove a stick up Dave's arse and tell him to call off the engagement.

Although Mylene detested Batista, she couldn't help but admit she was afraid of him as well. The fact that Lord Batista was a Magi hunter absolutely frightened her. What if he discovered she was a Magus? What if he found out she could change her hair color, make objects levitate, and summon objects out of nowhere? What if he found out she could make herself undetectable? If Dave were to discover she were a Magus, he'd most likely kill her. Or worse—he could have her arrested, taken to her father, have her secret unveiled to the kingdom of Secretum, and executed before her people. Mylene learned from her tutor that Magi hunters were trained to develop a sense to detect any Magi near them, but only if that Magi were to be using his or her powers. Knowing Dave, a veteran Magi hunter, would have developed deeply in this skill, Mylene didn't dare to try and pull off anything whenever Dave was in the palace; she didn't want to risk getting caught.

Clearly the ideal of marrying for love did not exist in the royal traditions of the Akermann family. Aside from running away from the palace and living an independent, carefree life, Mylene dreamed of finding someone she could fall in love with, possibly get married to, and spend the rest of her life with that person. Recently in her sleep, she'd dreamed of spending time with the most perfect and ideal man she could dream of—standing around 6'4'', light brown hair in a buzz cut, clean shaven, piercing blue eyes and best of all, chiseled features with tattoos adorned all the way up his arms and across his upper back. She'd imagined this dream guy—his name seemed to keep slipping from her mind—with a low, husky voice, murmuring words of seduction to her as he made her feel so safe and loved in her dreams. She'd dreamed of herself and this guy together in every possible way, from sitting by a brook and chatting casually to even the extent of making love till sunset in the woods…

_He assaulted her neck lustfully, making Mylene groan his name into his ear. He chuckled and nibbled on the soft tender spot of her neck while she rubbed the back of his shaven head. She found herself intoxicated by the scent of his faint cologne as he continued to suck on the tender skin of her soft spot. _

"_Feel good, baby?" he whispers, enticing her as his hands continue exploring her body. One of them journeys up her skirt, rubbing her thighs, while the other one wanders up the ties of her waist clincher, pulling the strings apart and tossing it to the side. His next targets are the buttons of her shirt._

"_Oh God, yes, I feel so good," Mylene moans back. _

"_Good, baby, good," he purrs, once the final button is undone. Mylene whimpered his name in response. She wishes he could talk to her like this forever. He pulls the shirt away from her, staring at the twin pair of full, buxom globes exposed before him. Reveling momentarily in them, he strips himself of his shirt, giving Mylene the most wondrous view of his insane six-pack. She traces the network of tattoos along his arms as he trails his kisses down to her navel, where he quickly slips her skirt off and then her panties. He growls when the tiny scrap of white lace appears in his hand, and Mylene blushes when he casually tucks her panties into the pockets of his britches. _

_Still blushing, Mylene feels shy, bare-naked before the man of her dreams, and tries to cover up herself. He gently removes the hands cupping her breasts and squeezes her individual mounds of soft, bouncy flesh, nuzzling the side of her neck as he breathes in the flowery scent of her hair. "Don't be shy, baby," he growls seductively in a deep, sexy voice, "you are absolutely beautiful…"_

Mylene let out a giggle as she felt someone nuzzling the side of her neck, thinking it was her hunk-alicious dream guy. Her mind was clearly still preoccupied with her sexual fantasy, as she did not realize the actual person burying their face into her hair looked nothing like the man she envisioned in her sleep.

"Good morning, sunshine," whispers that someone. Mylene's mind suddenly snaps awake, realizing that voice did not match her dream guy's. She blinks her eyes open and realizes she is in her bed and not in the woods. She turns her head sideways and screams when she discovers the very last person she wanted in the room burying his face in her hair and nuzzling the side of her neck.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? MARION!" shrieked Mylene, jumping to the other side of her bed, grabbing the covers with her. Dave Batista chuckles as he watches his beautiful fiancée scurrying away from him, her blonde waves disheveled and her sleepy dark blue eyes wide and bulging out of its sockets. He raised his eyebrows when he noticed Mylene pulled the sheets up to her chest. It made her look as though she wasn't wearing anything underneath the bed sheets, which turned him on immediately. He was tempted to jump into that bed and reveal what Mylene was hiding beneath those blankets.

"I came to wish you good morning, my dear," chuckles Dave.

"Who let you in?" exclaims Mylene, "you're not supposed to be in here! Get out!"

"My dear, just to make you feel better, I did not barge into your room without permission," said Dave, licking his lips. _What was there the need to be calm?_ Mylene thought angrily, _that bastard just invaded my personal bubble and strode into my room like he thinks he can! Who the hell let him in anyway?_

"No you didn't!" protests Mylene, "who gave you permission anyway? It's _my_ room!"

"I let him in, young lady," boomed her father's superior voice. He stepped into the room next to Dave, "and I suggest you keep your tone of voice more civil. You will not shout at me or your fiancé like that."

Mylene was extremely embarrassed. She'd just been reprimanded by her father in front of her much older fiancé, and to make the situation even more embarrassing, she was lying in her bed, wearing nothing but a nightgown, with the sheets coming up to chest to make it look as though she wasn't wearing anything on.

"Father, why did you let him in when I was still sleeping?" asked Mylene.

"Get out of that bed and we'll tell you, missy," snapped her father stubbornly. Mylene reluctantly dropped her sheets and climbed out of the bed, ignoring Dave's lustful stare as she turned her back to him and brushed her hair out of its tangles. Dave, on the other hand, couldn't help but dart his eyes over her nightgown. He loved how it snugly fit her curves in all the right places and only came up to mid-thigh. He was extremely disappointed when Mylene noticed this through her mirror and hurriedly slipped on a matching robe. She braids her blonde curls and turns back to face her father and her fiancé.

"Now may my question be answered, father?" asked Mylene. Her father nodded, though he still looked cross with her.

"Mylene, my sweet, today's the day," said Dave, who looked rather cheerful.

"The day we get married?" exclaimed Mylene in shock.

"Oh no, of course not!" protested the King (Mylene sighed in relief), "we haven't even discussed the wedding plans just yet!"

"Then what's so special about today?" asked Mylene.

"Today's the day we tell everybody the big news, my sweet," replied Dave. He took her hand and roughly pulled her to his chest. Mylene found herself crashing into Dave's rock hard chest (Frankly, she honestly didn't care) and staring up at the man much taller than she was, "we're going to have a banquet tonight, where we've invited all of our family and friends to come join us in celebrating our engagement."

"Wh-wh-wha-what?" stuttered Mylene, utterly confused.

"We're having our engagement party tonight, my dear princess," said Dave, "all of the King's closest friends and officials from all of Secretum are invited to this prestigious event. You and I will be introduced to all these very important guests so they can eventually formally address us as Mr. and Mrs. David Batista."

_Ewwwwww! _Mylene thought in her head, shuddering, _I'd rather choke on a toad than look in the mirror and call myself Mrs. David Batista. _

"That's right, Mylene," said the King, backing up Dave, "the guests will begin arriving by eight o'clock sharp, and I will formally announce your engagement in front of the congregation by half past ten. Dave will make his ceremonial speech and you will simply follow along with his every word."

The King motioned for Dave to leave and wait in the library where they would talk later. Before departing, Dave pulled away from Mylene, still grasping into her small hand in his much larger palm.

"I can't wait to see you tonight, my dear," purred Dave, kissing the back of Mylene's hand, "I can hardly wait till we announce our engagement in front of the entire kingdom of Secretum."

"Me too," said Mylene, pretending to agree with her fiancé. She secretly reminded herself to wash her hands more frequently now that Dave was around and also because he had a habit of planting his lips on the back of her hand.

As soon as Dave disappeared, Mylene noticed her father's expression suddenly changed from light-hearted and relaxed to cold and stern.

"Young lady, you will not leave Lord Batista's side unless you are permitted to do so. You may not wander off by yourself during the party and you will be courteous and polite to all the guests, regardless of whoever speaks to you. You will not make a single complaint to your mother or myself, and you will not act like a child in front of our guests. Unless you wish to find yourself in very deep trouble, Mylene, I suggest you be on your best behavior. Your mother and I will not tolerate immature behavior in front of our respected guests."

_Oh great, here we go again with the stupid, pointless instructions on how I should behave, _thought Mylene sarcastically.

"I expect you to be cleaned and scrubbed from head to toe, prim, proper, and well-dressed by half past five," continued the King, "you will not venture out in the courtyard nor will you be permitted to play downstairs, as we are setting up for tonight's banquet. I will send Marion to have you ready at around half past three. Is everything I've told you clear, Mylene?"

"Yes, Father," replied Mylene, reluctantly following along with her father's orders. She hated being treated like a child, despite being in her early twenties.

Because neither Marion nor the other servants in the house were available to play with her, Mylene spent her free time shut up in her bedroom, sitting by her desk with a drawing pad and pencil, picturing the image of the man she dreamed about as she sketched him. It didn't take her long before Mylene had completed drawing the man's ripped figure, ensuring she put emphasis on his sharp features and adding value tones and shadow to make him appear more mysterious. Amazingly, time flew by as she continued working on her masterpiece. After three hours, which felt more like three minutes to Mylene, she sat up and scrutinized the drawing once more, examining it for any mistakes and out-of-proportion errors in the man's figure.

Mylene smiled to herself as she sat up, holding the picture up against the sun's rays shining through her window. Satisfied with her work, she couldn't help but sigh at how handsome her dream man looked even on a drawing pad. She thought she'd done a descent job with his complicated network of tattoos. To make the portrait of the man more eye-catching, the entire artwork was shaded and drawn in pencil, but only two features of the man were emphasized—his piercing blue eyes were shaded in with an electric blue, while the rose tattoo on his lower left arm stood out amongst the other inks.

By the time Mylene had completed her drawing, it was half past three, and she let Marion in so she could help her get ready for the engagement party. After scrubbing every inch of her body and drying up, Mylene, wearing a bathrobe and her underwear underneath, stepped out of the bathroom and let Marion fix her hair and make-up. As Marion blow-dried her hair, Mylene's thoughts wandered back to the man again.

If she thought this man was handsome when sketched on a drawing pad sheet, she could hardly imagine what things his fine features would do to her if she met him in person.

_Oh, if only this man I've been dreaming about is real, _thought Mylene dreamily, as she recalled the sexy dream from this morning before it was so rudely interrupted by Batista, _then we could fall in love, run away together, and I wouldn't have to marry that old Batista bastard. But why do I keep dreaming of this man? Never before had I even dreamt of a single man in my life, but recently this man has been a recurring partner in my dreams at night. Could he possibly be real and dreaming about me too? Oh, I hope I can finally meet him someday!_

Marion noticed the princess was unusually silent as she brushed her wavy hair. "Dear princess, you're awfully quiet," whispered Marion, "is something wrong?"

"No, Marion."

"Did that Batista man do something to you?"

"Of course not," insisted Mylene, "I was just thinking about things."

"About the marriage?" guessed Marion, "about what your life would be like living with that horrible man?"

"Oh no, Marion, this has nothing to do with Batista," protested Mylene gently. She still had the handsome man of her dreams stuck in her mind. "Marion?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Have you ever dreamt of a certain someone so frequently, you can't help but wonder if that someone is even real?" asked Mylene curiously.

"Never, Mylene, why you do ask?" Marion was puzzled at the question Mylene had just asked.

"Because that's what's been happening to me as of late," admitted Mylene, and she told Marion all about the extremely handsome man she couldn't stop picturing in her head when she slept at night. She told him about the dreams she dreamed about him, and she even showed Marion the drawing of the man she'd sketched earlier.

"He is handsome, Mylene," agreed Marion, passing the drawing pad back to Mylene, "but he looks quite like a rebel to me."

"I've never met him in person, Marion," said Mylene, "and because I keep dreaming about him, I can't help but wonder not only if he's real, but if he's dreaming about me too. I recall in my last dream saying his name, but that name seems to slip out of my mind."

"It is quite an interesting tale, dear princess," said Marion, "but I can't answer your question if this man is even real or not."

"Every night I dream of him and I together, deeply in love," said Mylene, "I know not all dreams come true, Marion, but this is one I've longed for. I've longed for someone to love for who I am, and not what I look like. I've longed for someone who loves me just as much as I love them. I've longed for someone who'd always be there for me no matter what, protect me no matter what, listen to my problems and making me feel better instead of making them worse."

Marion could see where Mylene was going with the man in her dreams and how she dreamed of being in love with him. She knew how unloved the princess felt for over twenty years in this dungeon one would call a palace. She wished she could help the princess find that man so she could fall in love with him.

"After dreaming about this man, I realize that I want to leave this place for more reasons," said Mylene, "I want to flee this palace not just to escape the terrors of my tyrant father, but to find that dream man and finally meet him. I hope we can fall in love and live together for the rest of our lives, not having to worry about everything else."

Suddenly, Mylene thought of an idea. "Marion!" she exclaimed.

"What is it, princess?" asked Marion, surprised.

"I just thought of a brilliant idea!"

"And what is that idea?"

"I could run away…tonight."


	6. So Long, Goodbye Forever

****Runaway****

* * *

**Chapter 6: So Long, Goodbye Forever**

* * *

***Author's Note: Yup; this is the episode where Mylene finally gets away from the palace :) ***

* * *

"Tonight?" exclaimed Marion, staring wide-eyed at Mylene, "are you crazy?"

"No Marion, I'm not," insisted Mylene, "I'm going to run away tonight."

"You can't, princess, you can't!" protested Marion, who looked extremely shocked, "tonight is the night of your engagement party! There are guards surrounding the palace, not to mention that damned force field, and even if you somehow make it out of there, your father will notice you've no-showed the event and send a search party for you! He'll kill me, and then he'll kill you once he finds you!"

"Marion! I don't mean before the party!" corrected Mylene, "I mean after the festivities are over and after all the guests have left."

"But even then, princess, the guards will still be surrounding the palace, and even if there aren't any guards, the force field will still be put up, and you know there's no way to get through it without getting noticed," said Marion in a hushed tone, "even if you do use your powers, the force field is designed to detect any source of Magi activity acting on it, and you will surely get caught!"

"Then I guess I'll have to pray that the guards somehow don't activate the force field, then," said Mylene.

"The chances of that are extremely slim, Mylene," warned Marion, "I don't want you putting yourself at risk!"

Marion wanted nothing more than for the princess to escape the tortures and dreads of palace life, but there was so much at risk that it seemed almost impossible for such a miracle to happen.

What about her engagement to Lord Batista? What would the King think of Mylene running away with a rebel and falling in love with him? What would the King think of his only child running away from palace life, leaving no one to succeed him to the throne? Surely the country would be put in grave danger, with no one to govern over Secretum after the King's passing. Mylene's risky idea was going to be extremely dangerous, considering the consequences should there be a single flaw in the plan.

"Marion, aside from that force field, what else could stop me from leaving this place?" asked Mylene stubbornly. The headstrong princess was truly defiant.

"Think of your people, Mylene!" Marion brought up, "when you are gone, there will be no one left to govern this kingdom…"

"Of course there is," argued Mylene, "there's the High Council; they're the ones making all the decisions while my father's the one who criticizes them and forces them to kiss their feet and tie his shoelaces."

"You're the King's only daughter, Mylene," said Marion, "when you leave, there will be no one to succeed him to the throne…"

"And there will no longer be a damned monarchy bullying the people that deserve their rights and want democracy," interrupted Mylene, "my tutor Arthur told me all about democracy, and even he feels Secretum is better off as a democracy than under a tyrant king's rule."

"And what is democracy to you, Mylene?"

"It means power to the people," said Mylene, "it means the people decide how they govern their own country, instead of having some crackpot fool of a king bossing them around and forcing them stuck in their homes, not letting them do anything they want. Democracy gives the people of Secretum their freedom, just like how running away from this monarch palace will give me my freedom—the freedom that I've yearned for twenty-three years."

Marion was enthralled by Mylene's intelligence and analytical knowledge. Never before had she realized how truly intelligent her almost daughter was. But Marion feared the safety of the young princess she'd raised since her birth, fearing she could get killed, fearing she could find herself lost in the dangers of the forbidden forests.

"My princess, I want nothing more than for you to be happy," said Marion, taking both of Mylene's small hands into hers, "but I fear so many things. Not only do I fear for your safety, but I also fear for the future of Secretum, I fear for my life should your father find out I've been helping you, and I especially fear what your father has in store for you should you get caught. There is so much at risk, princess; I'm so scared."

Mylene looked into Marion's warm brown eyes and they were swirling with worry and concern. She could see from the way Marion trembled slightly that Marion did care about her very much. She could see that Marion cared about her more than anyone else in the world.

"I'm a bit scared too, Marion," confessed Mylene truthfully, "because of that force field, the probability I have of making it out of here is close to zero. Perhaps I could get lucky somehow, or find a way to disarm the shield…"

"MYLENE!"

Both Marion and Mylene jumped in surprise when they both heard the King's voice boom from the corridor outside. Immediately they hushed their private conversation, and Marion hurriedly clipped Mylene's hair up in an elegant half-knot just before the princess's father came bursting through the door.

"You're still getting ready?" exclaimed the King, "hurry up! Nearly all the guests have arrived and your fiancé is waiting for you in the ballroom!"

_Oh great, _thought Mylene sarcastically, _my dear fiancé._

"Don't dilly-dally all day long, Marion!" snapped the King, brandishing his hand at the maidservant, "I expected you to have her done as quickly as possible!"

"I'm sorry, your Majesty," apologized Marion.

"No need for apologies, Marion," said the King apathetically, not caring for the apology, "I need you as soon as possible to assist the other servants! Get her done in five or you'll have no pay this month and you'll pay for your room in this palace."

"Young lady, remember my orders given to you earlier this afternoon," the King added bluntly, not even bothering to look at his daughter, "any childish, immature behavior will not be tolerated in front of my guests!"

"Yes father," muttered Mylene.

"Now chop chop!" ordered the King, "Marion, I need you to serve drinks with the rest of them in the ballroom. Mylene, hurry up and put on your shoes; your fiancé is waiting for you and he is not the most patient man in the world."

* * *

Later That Night

It was nearly 2am and the engagement party ended not too long ago. All the guests had left, satisfied and drunk with the plentiful helpings of drinks they all had at the party. Everyone had participated in the festivities, and everyone had a great time there, raising their glasses to their future queen and her future husband. The party had been in full swing and no one could have been more elated than to celebrate the engagement of the princess and the most famous and the most respected lord in all of Secretum.

Everyone…except the princess herself.

Throughout the festivities, Mylene felt as though she'd been going through hell. She felt as though she were Dave's bitch, as she was not allowed to speak unless told to speak, nor was she allowed to wander away from her fiancé. Throughout the entire night, she was by Dave's side, secretly cringing in disgust as Dave's hand hovered around her lower back and the upper part of her behind. Trying to hide her distaste for the stuck-up wealthy friends of her father and Lord Batista, Mylene suffered throughout the entire night, having forced to act as a trophy and acquiesce with everything her father and Dave discussed with their guests. She hated the way some of the male guests were giving her flirtatious looks and even making sexual gestures towards her; she absolutely hated men who thought of her as just a pretty face. Throughout the entire night, she'd felt extremely uncomfortable with the wandering eyes of the guests fixed on her, licking their lips salaciously at her as though she were a prime cut of meat.

From her experience earlier that night, Mylene realized officials and lords were not going to take her seriously as a queen. She realized they would simply think of her as Dave's trophy wife, and that was the last thing she wanted to be known as to the people of Secretum. She wasn't going to be a tramp and parade her goodies while standing by Dave's side. In fact, she absolutely abhorred the mere thought of sleeping in the same bed as her future husband. Imagine what sort of evil things he could do to poor little her.

_All those guests who showed up tonight were nothing but disgusting perverts,_ thought Mylene, horrified, _I've made a complete fool of myself and now people are going to take me as a joke when I get crowned as queen._

As she pulled her hair out if its style, Mylene glanced out her bedroom window and noticed something peculiar. Not a single palace guard was patrolling the vicinity, and much to her surprise…

…the force field hadn't been activated.

_The force field hadn't been activated. _

Suddenly, Mylene felt a rush of luck stream throughout her entire body and throughout her brain. She gasped in amazement as she realized the opportunity for her to finally be free had just been handed to her on a silver platter. She couldn't believe how luck had finally been delivered to her front door.

"The force field…" whispered Mylene to herself, a smile forming on her beautiful face, "it's off…now's my chance!"

Not hesitating for a single second, Mylene darted around the room, packing whatever necessities and valuables she had in a small sack she'd charmed to hold infinite space for her things. She stripped out of her gown and high-heeled shoes, rushing over to her closet and pulled out a white ¾ sleeve blouse, a brown leather bustier, and a pair of brown britches she'd saved for the occasion. Mylene slipped on the britches and instantly let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't worn britches since she was a toddler and it was such bliss to be able to wear them again—her father forbid her to wear pants as soon as she hit four years of age.

As she gathered everything she needed, Mylene tried hard not to distract herself with the joyous thoughts of freedom, the thoughts of finally fleeing the palace she was forced to call her home for nearly her entire life. Using her telepathic abilities, Mylene secretly summoned Marion to her room, and with the blink of an eye, Marion appeared in front of Mylene's door.

"Oh princess!" whispered Marion, "the force field's been deactivated and the guards are all drunk from the festivities!"

"I know, Marion, I know!" said Mylene excitedly, though she kept her voice down as well, "finally, this is my chance! I can finally be free! Oh Marion, I will miss you so!"

Mylene jumped into the arms of her nurse, the nurse who'd taken care of her since she was a toddler, the nurse whom Mylene considered her single parental figure, the nurse who would finally witness her little girl breaking free of her trapped bonds and finally getting the freedom she deserves. Marion sobbed slightly; though she was very happy for Mylene, though she was excited that Mylene had gotten lucky and the gate to freedom had opened its doors for her, she still feared for the princess's safety.

"Oh princess, I will miss you too!" sobbed Marion, holding Mylene in her arms, "I will miss waking you up everyday and getting you out of bed and cleaning your sheets and doing your hair and…"

"Oh Marion!" chuckled Mylene softly, "I must bid you farewell, if I do not get caught, but we must stay in touch…" Mylene pulled out a pendant her mother gave to her years ago, muttered an incantation to place a charm on it, and placed it around Marion's neck, "whenever I need you, I'll contact you with my mind, and this pendant will heat up instantly, giving you the message and you and I can communicate. If you press the very center of it, you'll be able to contact me with your mind, so the King won't get suspicious."

"Bless you, dear girl!" said Marion, throwing her arms around the princess again, "farewell as you venture for your freedom and find what you have been longing for!"

Mylene couldn't help but stifle a tear as she and Marion embraced for what could perhaps be the last time in both of their lives. She knew she was leaving behind the nurse who raised her from young. Slowly, so slowly, she and Marion parted, and Mylene slowly made her ways towards the window where she would jump out and make her escape.

"Princess wait!" exclaimed Marion, before Mylene could step off the balcony railing. Marion rushed towards Mylene, handing her what appeared to be Mylene's sketchbook, "you'll need this." Marion flipped the page to where Mylene had sketched the same man she pictured in her dreams every night, "While you find your new life outside Secretum, I hope you find him too. I hope you'll find the man of your dreams and spend a life with him."

"I'll find him, Marion," agreed Mylene softly, taking the sketchbook from Marion and putting it in her charmed sack, "I know I'll find him soon."

"Goodbye, Mylene," sobbed Marion, pulling out her handkerchief and blowing her nose, "I give you my blessing! Go before sunrise! Go before the guards find their consciousness and activate the force field!"

"Goodbye, Marion," whispered Mylene, before disappearing into the night. Swiftly, Mylene, summoning a noise-canceling charm on her shoes, darted past the intoxicated guards at a cheetah's pace, and easily crossed the deactivated shield. Within a heartbeat, Mylene was no longer trapped in the palace walls. Not only had she taken her first steps outside of the palace, but the first destination she fled to was the forbidden forests, where she would find somewhere to rest and shelter.

Mylene still couldn't believe her luck. She was free, finally free from royalty, and finally free from everything she'd been forced to live through for her entire life. Her prayers had finally been answered, after years and years of praying for her freedom. No longer would she have to wake up every morning to dread the day that followed. No longer would she have to wear frilly dresses and don girly get-ups. No longer would she have to coop herself up in her room all day, struggling to un-bore herself till she was called down for meals. No longer would she have to feel insecure and worthless under her demon father's barking orders. No longer would she have to deal with the pressure of having to marry a lord nearly twice her age, and no longer would she have to live in fear as she hid her supernatural abilities from her medieval father and now former fiancé.

_I'm free! I'm free! _Mylene thought excitedly, pausing by a nearby tree to rest.

However, as time slowly passed, another wave of emotion washed over Mylene's body—fear. Realizing she had no idea what to do next, Mylene suddenly began to panic. She'd heard countless times of the numerous beasts that wandered the forbidden forests in the outskirts of Secretum, making her realize that the forbidden forests weren't probably the most ideal place to camp out. Mylene had been feeling so ecstatic about her newfound freedom, she'd completely forgotten about the potential dangers around her and how she was going to fend for herself afterwards.

After aimlessly wandering around, Mylene still hadn't found a place for her to settle. She felt unsure about settling in a cave, in case there were already occupied by beasts, nor did she dare to settle by a tree, where there could be blood-sucking serpents creeping up to her in her sleep. Mylene flinched as she heard a branch breaking nearby; she only just realized she wasn't going to survive in this forest for long. She felt fear take over her entire body as she nervously glanced around at the darkness surrounding her; never before had she found herself in this vulnerable situation. She'd learned about the different beasts and creatures that wandered the grounds of the forbidden forests, but never before had she ever been taught to deal with them in a situation like the one she was in at this very moment.

Mylene jumped when she heard leaves rustling behind her and another branch breaking. Not daring to turn back and look, Mylene could feel something stalking her from behind. Chills licked her spine as she heard grunting that got louder and louder, the rustling leaves and the creaking branches getting louder and louder in response.

Mylene could feel something watching her from behind. She caught the foul stench of a beast attacking at her nostrils and she tried her hardest not to scream. She knew something that was directly behind her. Timidly, Mylene turned her head to find the horns of a Terrhykion—a hybrid between a rhino and a wildebeest—pointing towards her, its sturdy head snarling at her with its nostrils flared. Mylene didn't dare move; she immediately recognized the beast from her book of hybrid species and exotic creatures. From reading about the Terrhykion, it would charge at anything that flees from it, and the only way to escape it is to keep eye contact with it and walk away slowly. Should she bolt for her life, the Terrhykion would charge after her at blazing speed and kill her with those sharp, pointed horns it wore on its crown.

Slowly, Mylene, fighting the urge to scream her lungs out, backed away from the hybrid beast with miniscule steps, locking her stare onto the beast, knowing should be break eye contact with the Terrhykion, she'd be sprawled on the ground, bleeding to death as it devoured her raw flesh. She silently tried to cast an incantation on the beast to put it to sleep, but then she realized the Terrhykion's rough hide allowed it to be immune from magic. All she was left to do was to try and back away slowly until the Terrykion got bored of her and left.

But for some odd reason, the Terrhykion just wouldn't leave Mylene alone. The more Mylene backed away from it, the more she wanted to scream and run for her life. Suddenly, she tripped over a branch and fell to the ground, and the beast's glowing red eyes narrowed at her nastily. Mylene hadn't had the courage to get up on her feet and run; the intimidating glare of the beast absolutely frightened her, and thanks to her clumsy stint, she was now going to be this beast's next meal.

Mylene quietly uttered a prayer as she scrambled back against a tree, the Terrhykion's eyes cornering her in a trapped position. A part of her wished she hadn't been so stupid and so caught up in the euphoria of finally being free from the palace. She shut her eyes tight as she felt the warmth of the beast making her nerves tinge and her spine frozen. She was going to be dead and it was going to be all thanks to her thoughtlessness…


	7. An Unexpected Savior

****Runaway****

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**Chapter 7: An Unexpected Savior**

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***Author's Note: A continuation from the previous chapter where the beast corners Mylene in a trapped position and is about to devour her for dinner. Of course, from the title, Mylene is obviously going to be saved, and I believe from the tags I've put on this story, you'll all figure out who this unexpected savior will be…***

* * *

_Mylene could feel something watching her from behind. She caught the foul stench of a beast attacking at her nostrils and she tried her hardest not to scream. She knew something that was directly behind her. Timidly, Mylene turned her head to find the horns of a Terrhykion—a hybrid between a rhino and a wildebeest—pointing towards her, its sturdy head snarling at her with its nostrils flared. Mylene didn't dare move; she immediately recognized the beast from her book of hybrid species and exotic creatures. From reading about the Terrhykion, it would charge at anything that flees from it, and the only way to escape it is to keep eye contact with it and walk away slowly. Should she bolt for her life, the Terrhykion would charge after her at blazing speed and kill her with those sharp, pointed horns it wore on its crown. _

_Slowly, Mylene, fighting the urge to scream her lungs out, backed away from the hybrid beast with miniscule steps, locking her stare onto the beast, knowing should be break eye contact with the Terrhykion, she'd be sprawled on the ground, bleeding to death as it devoured her raw flesh. She silently tried to cast an incantation on the beast to put it to sleep, but then she realized the Terrhykion's rough hide allowed it to be immune from magic. All she was left to do was to try and back away slowly until the Terrykion got bored of her and left. _

_But for some odd reason, the Terrhykion just wouldn't leave Mylene alone. The more Mylene backed away from it, the more she wanted to scream and run for her life. Suddenly, she tripped over a branch and fell to the ground, and the beast's glowing red eyes narrowed at her nastily. Mylene hadn't had the courage to get up on her feet and run; the intimidating glare of the beast absolutely frightened her, and thanks to her clumsy stint, she was now going to be this beast's next meal._

_Mylene quietly uttered a prayer as she scrambled back against a tree, the Terrhykion's eyes cornering her in a trapped position. A part of her wished she hadn't been so stupid and so caught up in the euphoria of finally being free from the palace. She shut her eyes tight as she felt the warmth of the beast making her nerves tinge and her spine frozen. She was going to be dead and it was going to be all thanks to her thoughtlessness…_

As Mylene continued to shut her eyes and uttering last mumbles of silent prayers, she scolded herself for being so careless, not even pausing to think about what to do after she'd accomplished her goal of escaping the palace. She hadn't bothered to worry about her future survival during the euphoria of her freedom. Mylene had never even been outside of the palace walls so she had absolutely no idea how to fend for herself. Now Mylene realized that running away wasn't such a brilliant idea after all, especially since she had lived a pampered and privileged lifestyle throughout her entire life and was never taught how to deal with hardships and troublesome situations.

_God, I am so stupid,_ thought Mylene to herself, as she curled up against the tree and shut her eyes tightly, _why did I have to be so thickheaded and not think about what to do after the best part? How could I be so stupid and completely forget about my survival in this crazy forest filled with dangerous beasts, like the one that's about to devour me for dinner?_

About a minute or two later, however, Mylene realized she was still alive, which was unusual considering the Terrhykion should've ripped her limbs apart by now and started to savor her flesh. When she slowly opened her eyes, she screamed. A large, glowing purple dagger was pierced through the side of the Terrhykion's head with maroon liquid, which Mylene supposed was the beast's blood, oozing out of its skull.

Utterly confused, Mylene glanced around her frantically in search of the mysterious savior who'd just rescued her from the brink of death. Her eyes locked on a nearby shadow looming over her and she flinched; was this another one of the forest's exotic beasts that could potentially slice her head open and drink her blood for dessert?

"No need to panic," the figure grunted huskily. Mylene's nerves calmed as she realized this deep growl belonged to a human, someone of her kind. She could sense a familiar aura from the figure; he must be a Magus.

"Wh-wh-who are you?" stammered Mylene, backing up against the tree, fearing this figure could be a residential pedophile.

The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing his appearance, and Mylene felt her breath hitch in her throat when she met the most incredible deep ocean blue eyes of the most handsome man she'd ever seen in her life—standing tall at around 6'4'' with a muscled frame and skull-trimmed hair on his head. She swore she'd seen this man before, but somehow she seemed to have forgotten as a result of the panic invading her mind when the beast cornered her earlier.

His aquamarine orbs eyed her with curiosity and interest, her curly blonde locks resembling that of a fairytale princess braided to one side, her skin as white as snow with just the right amount of rosy blush on the apples of her cheeks, her pink lips full and parted as she panted heavily, her chest heaving up and down in unison. He soon found himself meeting her matching blue irises and suddenly felt a jolt of nostalgia spark in his mind. For some reason he felt as though he'd met this young lady before, but oddly he couldn't seem to remember on which occasion. He could sense her Magus aura and found himself drawn to her.

If he had known this girl from somewhere, perhaps he should know her name. Mylene was thinking the exact same thought as the tall man approached her and pulled her away from the Terrhykion corpse.

"I'd appreciate it if you at least thanked me first," grumbled the man, grasping her arm and pulling her up with his strength. Mylene jumped back slightly when she found herself crashing into the man's muscular chest. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could feel how rock hard and chiseled he was and her heart leapt slightly. Mylene glanced up at the man to find him smirking at her mischievously and she blushed slightly; he knew she was curious about the wonders underneath his shirt.

"Thank you," uttered Mylene hastily, brushing her britches and fixing her hair out of its messy braid.

"I do have a name, you know," remarked the man, picking up her small pouch lying askew next to her and handing it to her once she was done, "but perhaps I'd like to know yours first."

"I'm…" began Mylene.

"Mylene Akermann," interrupted the man cockily, "of course I know you. You don't think everyone in and out of Secretum knows your name?"

Mylene was rather taken aback at the man's rudeness, "Well as you should know, I'm…"

"The princess of the royal Akermann family?" he cut her off once again, making Mylene feel slightly annoyed, "The only child of the King? The sole heir to the throne but seemingly cannot be the next ruler because she is a female?"

"How…how did you…"

The man let out a low chuckle, "Everyone knows you, _princess_. Everyone but yourself."

"Before you deride me any further, I'd like to at least know if you have a name or not," demanded Mylene, "or if you refuse to introduce yourself I can at least call you Jackass."

"Oooh, feisty," teased the man. Mylene scrambled to her feet and was just about to walk away from 'Jackass' until she felt his cold palm grasp her much smaller wrist. She hadn't even gotten to know his name and already she knew she didn't like him at all. He was far from pleasant and just plain rude. She could hardly believe such a man with handsome, striking features could be such a cocky bastard at heart.

"Wait, where are you going, princess?" asked the man curiously, pulling her towards him easily.

"I'm going off to find a place to camp out, just so you know," replied Mylene bluntly, "seeing that it's obviously dark and there could be more sinister beasts wandering around looking for breakfast."

"If that's the case, princess, then you should at least give yourself some protection," suggested the man. He let go of Mylene's wrist and muttered a silent incantation, his fingertips glowing a dark blue as he cast a spell on Mylene.

Mylene felt as though she were being squashed by extremely heavy armor as her body glowed the same shade of blue. She wanted to run, but her feet seemed to be stuck to the ground. She tried to cast a counter-charm on whatever the man was doing to her but it seemed no use. She watched as the man waved his other arm in a circular motion in the air, his mouth moving as he uttered a few more spells.

Mylene had realized this man was a Magus as well, but didn't expect him to be so skilled in the art of magic. She could sense his ability level was extremely high. "Wh-what are you doing?" she stammered, as she struggled to break the spell on her.

"Providing you some protection," remarked the man, closing his hands into fists. The blue glow around her body disappeared and Mylene was finally able to move again, though her limbs felt rather numb, "just to give you your first survival lesson, the charm I placed on you was a combination of a Body Shield and Repellant Charm. It'll not only prevent you from getting killed should you run into a Terrhykion again, but it'll also protect you from the other freaky creatures roaming this forest. I use it all the time with a touch of mint sprig aroma," he brags at the last part, making Mylene roll her eyes sarcastically.

"And what you saw, that white dome of light, I conjured it up while still putting the Repellant Charm on you, was a combination of different protection spells—Anti-Venjulegt, Galdurus, Invisibility, and Undetectable Charms," continued the man. Mylene's ears hadn't even heard of such spells, aside from Invisibility, "I know you're a runaway princess, Mylene, and knowing your demon father will be sending a search party for his only heir to the throne, I thought about putting up some protection."

"I…thank you…sir…" stuttered Mylene, who was extremely confused to this point. First he pokes fun at her and now he was protecting her?

"No need for that 'sir' and 'mister' shit," insisted the man, "if you'd like to thank me properly, the name's Randy. Randy Orton. Now princess, since you stated earlier you'd prefer to find somewhere else to 'camp out' rather than stay safe with me, I'll let you go and I'll see you in the morning."


	8. A Man of Two Faces

****Runaway****

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**Chapter 8: A Man of Two Faces**

* * *

***Author's Note: Yay! Now Randy's in the story! But how will he, the lone rogue, get used to having a beautiful runaway princess by his side for the next couple of chapters?***

* * *

For the first time in her life, Mylene Akermann found herself waking up somewhere else other than her soft, fluffy comforter in her palace bedroom. For the first time, she wasn't buried in mountains of pillows or covered in layers of silk blankets. When she opened her eyes, she wasn't looking around at a teak dresser, or a floor length mirror, or a window facing the courtyard. No, what she would usually wake up to that morning was a completely different scene from what she was used to for the past twenty-three years.

Instead of white curtains hanging from her windows, she saw green vines wrapped around the barks of massive trees. Instead of the perfume of roses from her blooming lilies, she smelled the natural, spicy aroma of redwood. Instead of Marion whispering for her to wake up quickly, she heard the sound of avian creatures chirping in the distance greeting her good morning, making the blonde, blue-eyed beauty smile to herself; no longer would she be forced to roll out of bed, get changed into the most typical fashion of royalty, and go downstairs to meet her less-than-approving father, who would tut at her and glare at her like she did something wrong as she joined him and her mother at the breakfast table.

Mylene felt a wave of relief wash over her senses as she realized she no longer had to wake up to the same routine every single day. Stretching her stiff back she sat up from the bed of leaves she'd bewitched the previous night to have the exact same surface as her mattress back in the palace. She turned around and magically slid her hand through the bark of the tree, feeling for the pouch she'd kept in there (she'd created a little storage place for her pouch using a special charm she'd innovated herself; it was a spell she regularly used to hide some of her toys and mementos her father didn't approve of), and retrieving it to pull out her daily necessities to start the day.

She gets up and brushes the tangles out of her blonde curls, grumbling as she magically slices off a stubborn knot. She wishes she could dye her hair a darker color and straighten it, but she didn't have the right ingredients to change her stubborn blonde princess hair to the sultry, dark chocolate brown locks she'd dreamed of having, nor had she learned how to straighten her hair using magic just yet. She recalls a moment three years ago when she accidentally set a lock of her hair on fire while attempting to straighten it and shudders, the foul stench of burnt hair disgusting her greatly and nearly blowing her cover.

She decides she'd wait a day till she takes a shower; after all, she always felt as though she'd been over-scrubbed and over-groomed whenever she was forced to take baths every single day when living in the palace. Casting a temporary Concealing Charm so she wouldn't be seen, she strips out of her sweatpants and kaftan top and puts back on the three-quarter sleeve blouse, brown britches, and black bustier she'd worn the night before. She brushes her stubborn hair into a braid and secures it with a hair tie.

Now that she was dressed, Mylene decides to go wish Randy a good morning. After all, the man did save her from the Terrhykion that was about to make her supper. And besides, he was the most handsome man Mylene had ever seen in her life—she sworn she'd seen him before, though.

Despite his striking, masculine features, though, Mylene found Randy rather peculiar. Instead of prince-like and gentlemanly, when she began to talk to Randy after he saved her, he began to poke fun at her, for some odd reason. He bragged that he knew her name and from the way he seemed to describe her the previous night, she thought he sounded slightly rude. Before she could back ten feet away from his rudeness though, Randy stopped her and cast protective charms on her to ensure her safety.

When Randy assured her the charms were for her protection, Mylene was extremely puzzled at his change in attitude towards her. Initially Randy appeared to only want to treat her as a joke and tease her, but after that moment, it seemed as though Randy _cared_ about her.

Cared about her? Why? He'd only known her for a few hours, why would he act protective of a woman he'd only just met? Randy's behavior greatly intrigued Mylene. She wondered if Randy really did care about her, or did he only cast those charms just so she wouldn't get killed and he wouldn't end up having anyone to keep him entertained?

Letting out a sigh, Mylene continues to search for her companion. It didn't take long for her to find Randy sitting on a dead stump in the middle of a barren patch. He appeared as though he was having breakfast.

"Hey Randy," greeted Mylene, walking up to Randy. No response.

"Um…Randy?" said Mylene, raising her voice slightly, "Hello?"

Mylene jumped when Randy's head snapped towards her within less than a second. She flinched slightly when she saw that he had a menacing glare. It softened slightly into a scowl when Randy realized it was Mylene.

"Oh, it's you," he grunted coldly.

"Good morning?" said Mylene uncertainly. For some odd reason, Randy appeared to be in a rather unpleasant mood.

"Morning," replied Randy, not bothering to look at her. He was busy collecting his thoughts while eating breakfast when Mylene suddenly snapped him out of his deep thinking, making him slightly irritated that the princess decided to interrupt his thoughts.

There was a long silence. Mylene guessed that Randy was in the midst of a deep meditation until she unintentionally intruded on him. _Or perhaps he just has the bad mood people usually have when they wake up in the morning, like I do,_ she thought.

"Randy?" asked Mylene, concerned, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," replied Randy bluntly. He was still looking down at his breakfast. From what Mylene could see, he was just finishing up what looked like a protein bar. _Is that even enough for him?_ Mylene thought to herself.

Mylene conjured up an apple and offered it to Randy, who was just finishing up the last of his protein bar. She positioned the apple so that it was visible to Randy, who refused quietly.

"You sure that's enough for you to eat?" asked Mylene, "I mean that doesn't look very much."

"It's enough," insisted Randy, indicating he was fine with his protein bar. Mylene, however, thought the opposite.

"I can leave it here for you in case you get hungry," offered Mylene sweetly, placing the apple next to Randy.

"It's enough," repeated Randy coolly.

Still intrigued by his reserved attitude towards her, Mylene crept in front of Randy, bending over to face the silent rogue, who was looking down on his feet. "Is something on your mind bothering you?" Mylene piped up, eyeing him curiously.

Randy glanced up at the beautiful blonde watching him and couldn't help but dart his eyes between her lovely features and the tops of her full, large breasts she'd unintentionally exposed while bending over made him shiver slightly. Her exposed breasts were beginning to turn him on greatly, and the way her blue eyes were bulbous and bright caused him to take a deep breath of air, to control himself not to give into that look Mylene was giving him.

But Randy reminded himself not to fall for the princess's charms; it could turn out to be a major distraction for him. After all, she was a typical princess who was completely helpless in the outside world by herself. His eyes darted back down to her breasts, oblivious to Mylene, and replied, "It's nothing."

Mylene wasn't completely convinced by Randy's brief answer, however, and asked again, "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," insisted Randy, not bothering to look at her again, though he couldn't help but dart his eyes between his protein bar and her breasts.

"Really?" Mylene tried again, "you don't sound like you're in a good mood."

"Well you're awfully chipper," replied Randy emotionlessly, finishing up his breakfast and setting the wrapper on fire with the snap of his fingers.

"I suppose you're not a morning person?" guessed Mylene, "it's okay, I'm like that too sometimes, especially when my father orders my nurse to wake me up so early just to join him for breakfast."

Randy nodded silently. Mylene wondered if she somehow cheer up Randy. Perhaps she could at least entertain him a bit so he could at least say more than just one to three words in response to her awkward attempts to make conversation. She was not at all used to withdrawn, quiet introverts like Randy seemed to be. She wanted to talk to him, get to know him; he already knew who she was and where she came from after all. Making him feel better would hopefully at least give her a chance of asking about him.

"I could tell you a story to cheer you up," suggested Mylene, sitting cross-legged next to the stump Randy was on, "it's a funny story." She added, hoping she'd at least get a bit of his attention. Randy nodded, indicating he was listening.

"Well, I know you've probably never lived in a palace before, but it was this one instance that involved my nurse, Marion, and one of the gardeners, Tom," said Mylene, "you see, old Tom's fancied Marion for a while, and one day he decided to conjure up a bouquet of these special lilies for her—he's a Magus specializing in botany—and give them to her as a present. What he didn't realize, though, when he was busy conjuring up the flowers, he noticed Marion walking past, and he unintentionally made the sap of the lilies poisonous. When he was giving Marion the lilies in a nice little bouquet he'd made as well, Marion noticed there was a dead sap-eating frog lying by one of the lilies, which had dropped off from the bouquet by itself, and Marion noticed the frog was drooling of the sap of the lilies, and poor Tom was forced to explain how he accidentally made those lilies poisonous while conjuring them up for her. After that incident, Marion made sure she'd never put lilies in my hair ever again."

There was no response from Randy aside from the gradual nodding of his head. Mylene personally thought the story was funny and couldn't see how Randy had been completely apathetic towards the tale of a gardener attempting to impress her nurse with poisonous flowers he'd accidentally made deadly. At the same time, she felt rather embarrassed that she'd just told Randy a story she'd thought was quite hilarious and ended up getting no reaction from him.

"Okay…" mumbled Mylene, blushing heavily, fiddling with her fingers nervously, "I guess…you don't find it…funny…"

Still, not a single word escaped Randy's motionless thin lips. Mylene noticed the frown still crossed on Randy's face, making her wonder if the joke had irritated him somewhat.

"Should…should I leave?" suggested Mylene quietly.

Randy was still silent.

"I guess I'll leave you alone then," sighed Mylene, getting up from where she was sitting and looking back at Randy, who was still staring in the direction he was facing. His blue eyes appeared glassy and concentrated. She'd decided to give up and let the man gather his thoughts in silence unless she wanted to be snapped at. From his tall, muscled figure, to the pattern of tattoos peeking out from his ¾ sleeves on both arms, Mylene could tell Randy was not the most patient man in the world.

"Guess I'll see you in a couple of hours?" asked Mylene. Knowing Randy wasn't going to answer her, she sighed and left to return back to her tree, deciding to give Marion a chat to kill time. She wasn't sure how she was going to survive in the forest for the rest of her life by herself if Randy wasn't going to even bother talking to her. If she could, she might as well try and summon Marion to the forest; that ought to be at least some company for the young, lonely princess. But for now, all Mylene could do was scramble away and fumble for her locket, hoping that Marion would answer her.

As soon as he sensed the blonde beauty was out of sight and out of range, a small smile crept across Randy's hard facial features, a low chuckle rumbling as he reached for the plump red fruit Mylene had left for him earlier. He took a bite of it and swallowed the sweet, honeyed juice that escaped the pulp of the crunchy, juicy apple, reminding himself it was the best-tasting thing he'd had in ages.

_She's quite a cutie_, thought Randy to himself, as he savored the little fruit of goodness. Though he appeared unaffected by the joke Mylene had shared with him in an attempt to cheer him up, he secretly found the failed love story interesting yet adorable, just like how he found the sweet-faced princess to be while he was secretly locking up his emotions earlier that morning when she attempted to start conversation with him.

Randy had to admit it was difficult to do so, but the reason why he didn't want to show any sort of emotion towards Mylene was merely because she was a beautiful young lady from a prestigious, royal background. He couldn't associate himself with the aristocratic princess of Secretum; he was a Magus rogue on the run. He had been a wanted criminal in Secretum since he was a teenager, but he appeared to have been forgotten, as it had been over twelve years since his arrest warrant was issued. He knew if the Secretors somehow caught him in a relationship with their precious princess, he was going to face a life sentence, and he could put Mylene in danger as well. As much as he found himself a little bit attracted to the beautiful blonde, he couldn't bear that risk.

Randy reflected back on the image of Mylene bending over to look him eye-to-eye, and how he wanted to burn the picture of the tops of her breasts being shown through her low-cut blouse in his mind. He couldn't help but wonder if the rest of her were just as good to look at.

His mind then focused on Mylene's fathomless oceans of eyes. They were a deep blue that twinkled under the faint light shining through the treetops, an ocean that his own blue orbs could get lost in forever. He swore he'd seen those blue eyes before, twinkling him in the same manner Mylene's had earlier when she asked if he was okay, but somehow he couldn't remember when or where he'd seen them. They were absolutely captivating, and Randy just knew he'd locked his own eyes with them, but somehow he'd forgotten where they'd come from.

All facts aside, Randy thought Mylene was indeed very attractive. But he reminded himself several things: one, he preferred brunettes and he absolutely couldn't stand blondes, his previous flings all being clueless, dumb golden-haired idiots; two, it was again with the major social class gap between him and Mylene; and three, she was an airy, blonde princess, which meant she was a damsel in distress in the outside world, and Randy despised the burden of having to care for a helpless little girl of royal blood; he wasn't some servant to tend to her needs and everything like she was used to back in her damned palace.

_She may be hot, but she's a princess_, Randy reminded himself silently, _knowing the Akermanns, she's going to treat me like I'm her servant, making me get everything she wants and satisfying her needs. There's something about Mylene that intrigues me, but she's still an airy, wimpy princess and will always be that kind of princess. All of them are like that. And that means I can have no connection with her whatsoever. _


	9. A Little Book of Advice

**Runaway**

* * *

**Chapter 9: A Little Book of Advice**

* * *

A few days after failing to entertain Randy with her joke, a disappointed Mylene returned back to her tree and fiddled for her pouch in the hideaway place she'd conjured up, and grabbed her pendant, tapping the cover three times while silently thinking of Marion. After about ten seconds, the cover vibrated and opened by itself, indicating that Marion had answered her call.

"Marion? Are you there?" Mylene spoke into the telependant.

"Princess?" warbled Marion's digital voice, "oh my goodness, you're alive!"

"You didn't think I wouldn't survive for a few hours in this forest?" chuckled Mylene.

"The forest?" gasped Marion, "oh no, dear! You can't be in…"

"The _Forbidden _Forests?" interrupted Mylene, "what's so forbidden about this place, Marion? It's absolutely beautiful!"

"Princess you're crazy!" replied Marion, "you can't be in the forbidden forests! There's a reason why it's out of bounds!"

"And the reason why it's out of bounds is because my father and my ancestors before him are too stupid to realize that it's not such a bad place after all," remarked Mylene, summoning an invisible pillow and mattress and leaning against the bark of the tree, "aside from the beasts wandering around the place, it's perfect for me to go in hiding."

"But it's full of wild beasts that could kill you!" protested Marion, "and how are you going to get food, shelter, and how are you going to clean up yourself!"

"Marion, haven't you forgotten?" whispered Mylene, "I'm a Magus; I know how to take care of all those things. Besides, there's a lovely brook with a beautiful waterfall where I can clean up and shower."

"That sounds lovely, my dear," replied Marion, "but aren't you lonely all by yourself in there?"

"Well I've got you to talk to," said Mylene, "aside from the man I'd met a few days ago."

"Man?" asked Marion curiously, "what man? Who is he?"

"His name's Randy, and he's devilishly handsome—about six foot four, muscled and toned in all the right places, his big, strong biceps covered in what I thought was the most amazing collage of tattoos I'd ever seen in my life…"

"Now be careful about these types of boys, dear princess, you never know what they could have planned for pretty little things like you," warned Marion.

"But Marion, he's absolutely godlike," sighed Mylene, "he saved me from a beast that was about to attack me; that's how we first met."

"Oh!" gasped Marion, "well that's so chivalrous of him! He sounds like the complete gentleman."

Mylene was rather taken aback at how Marion gallantly complimented Randy by calling him 'the complete gentleman'. Despite his extremely attractive features, Mylene found Randy to be the most unusual man she'd ever met in her life. When she first locked with his steely blue eyes, she thought exactly how Marion had described him. But as soon Randy had opened his mouth, Mylene thought differently. Instead of being smooth and charming, like how she'd pictured a guy like him to be, he decided to tease her and play games with her mind. The next day, however, he was completely silent and withdrawn, only giving few-worded answers whenever Mylene attempted to start conversation with him. He didn't even flinch slightly when Mylene told him the joke about Tom the gardener and his poisonous lilies. This caused Mylene to believe he was possibly suffering the morning blues, just like any other adult.

When Mylene told her nurse all about Randy and his supposed 'mood swings', Marion assured the princess it could possibly be the morning blues.

"I'm quite sure he's one of those people who feels groggy in the early morning, princess," replied Marion.

"But he didn't even bother to laugh at the joke I told him about Tom the gardener and how he tried to surprise you with those poisonous lilies!" said Mylene, pouting, blowing a stray blonde curl away from her face.

"Oh that joke never gets old," laughed Marion, "I apologize if I decided not to put lilies in your hair anymore."

"Back to the subject, Marion," reminded Mylene, "I just don't understand Randy. One day he's awfully cheerful and the next day he's all grumpy. Like yesterday when I offered to let him use the waterfall first, he didn't say anything and refused to talk to me even when I'd found some delicious melons from a nearby tree. But this morning, when I was braiding my hair he came over and decided to tease me about maintaining my blonde curls."

"Boys are like that, sweetie," said Marion.

"Marion, he's past puberty a long time ago," reminded Mylene.

"Well doesn't matter," said Marion, "even past puberty, there will be men whose emotions are just as unstable as the situation in the palace at the moment."

"Wait, what's happening back at the palace, Marion?" inquired Mylene. Though she absolutely detested her former home and wanted nothing more to do with it, Mylene was curious to know what was going on back in the kingdom of Secretum.

"Oh," sighed Marion, her voice faltering slightly and her cheery mood fading away, "things aren't going so smoothly back here, princess." She whispered.

"What do you mean?" asked Mylene.

"Your father went absolutely ballistic when he stormed into your room this morning and found an empty bed," sighed Marion, "he started screaming for you and interrogated every single person in the palace to see if any one of us have seen you."

"Did he interrogate you, Marion?"

"I was the first to be interviewed, dear," whispered Marion, "in fact, it took me a while to get out of the interrogation process, since I am, after all, your nursemaid. I got a nasty whack in the face from your father despite constantly reminding him that I hadn't seen you since the party ended and you went to bed."

"Oh no," gasped Mylene frantically, "Marion, are you alright?"

"I'm fine now, dear," assured Marion, "the others have given me some medicine to take."

"What do you have to do in the palace now that I'm not there anymore for you to take care of?"

"I've been sent down to work as a maid, serve your dear parents tea and sweep the halls."

"Then what about the others? Are they alright?"

"They've all been interrogated, and now your father is stark raving mad about the disappearance of his daughter," replied Marion, "the others do miss you dearly though; a part of me wishes you hadn't run away."

"And my _dear_ father and mother?" Mylene clearly put sarcastic emphasis on the word 'dear'.

"Of course your father is absolutely _pissed_," said Marion, "when I was serving him and your mother dinner the other day he wouldn't stop ranting about how you were a disgrace to the family and how he's worried about your safety and all that, but honestly I think he's more concerned about who will be his successor to the throne after he steps down as king."

"That's all I'll ever be to him," huffed Mylene, "I never thought of him as a real father anyway."

"Your mother, though, she was restraining to hold back her tears," continued Marion. Mylene was extremely surprised to hear this. Her usually unresponsive behavior whenever her father was around indicated to Mylene that Mother Dearest was her father's robotic bitch, only talking when needed to talk and not showing any sign of sympathy towards her own daughter. Because of this Mylene couldn't look Leonora in the eyes and dub her as her own mother.

"As soon as your father had gone off somewhere else, she burst into tears and locked herself up in her room. She hasn't eaten in days and the king has been very abusive towards her. They no longer sleep in the same room together." Mylene gasped. She always thought her father was a manipulative, cruel, horrible human being from the way he treated her, but she'd never thought he'd be heartless to the extent where he even abused his own wife and queen.

"I know the Queen hasn't been the best mother in the world to me, but she absolutely does not deserve that sort of treatment from my demon father," sneered Mylene, "in fact, I can't even call that bastard my own father, from the way he's treated me all these years, and now he's beating up his wife and my own mother." She couldn't believe her very own father could be so cold-blooded that he'd resort to hitting his wife and mother of his child.

"I honestly hate to say this, my dear, but there's nothing any of us can do about it, not even your own mother," sighed Marion, "the King is the King, and he can do whatever he wants, and no one can do anything about it to stop him."

"Yes there is!" protested Mylene, "can't the High Council do anything about it?"

The High Council served as the Parliament to Secretum, but the King still had most of the power despite the kingdom being a constitutional monarchy. Members of the Council usually served as advisers to the King before he enacted laws.

"The purpose of the High Council is to serve as the judicial branch and advisers to the King, but in this case they are not involved whatsoever in his personal life," said Marion, "the King could cover up his domestic abuse of his wife and the Council won't have any power to suspect him of doing so."

"That's so unfair!" exclaimed Mylene.

"Unfortunately that's how much power your father has, my dear," said Marion.

"Don't refer to the King as my father ever again, Marion," remarked Mylene, "I wish I could just go back to the palace and give him the beating of a lifetime for everything he's done to my mother and I. All he does is cause nothing but hell to his family, and all he cares about is himself and his throne and that bastard Dave Batista…wait a minute Marion, speaking of my former fiancé, what's going on with him?"

"Oh that man is a nightmare," said Marion, her voice shuddering, "your father—I mean the king—dotes on him like he's his son or something. When the King told him about your disappearance, Lord Batista got very, very curious."

"About what?"

"About how you were able to escape the palace walls. He still doesn't know that the drunken guards forgot to activate the impenetrable force field that early morning after the engagement party ended. In fact, the guards are afraid to admit their forgetfulness that caused a kingdom-wide dilemma."

"Is it really that bad?" asked Mylene worriedly.

"The people are upset about your disappearance, princess, but the King, like I've told you before, is _stark raving mad_. He's sending all of his guards and barging into homes, interrogating every single citizen of Secretum. The whole kingdom is getting fed up with the King because of the way he's handling the situation. Princess, if you could come back, then you could at least fix the situation," begged Marion pleadingly, "I know you're much happier where you are at the moment, but your people need you."

"I don't intend to be the next hated ruler in the kingdom, Marion."

"My dear, from what I've been hearing from the dirt sheets, the people are secretly planning a revolution to overthrow the King and have the High Council take over as a democracy," said Marion, "for years the people have longed for them to finally be able to rule the kingdom as one. They've been fed up with your ancestors for centuries and have longed for their power—power to the people."

"Then let me know when my father's been overthrown and then I'll consider returning back to Secretum," said Mylene stubbornly, "because I'm not going to simply walk myself into jail as soon as I return."

"I know now's not the best time, princess, but do be aware of the king's guards on the lookout," warned Marion, "once the King's interrogated everyone in the kingdom, they'll be going after neighboring kingdoms, and after that, they'll be moving into the forests, so I strongly advise you to be very careful, my dear."

"I'll be careful, Marion."

"And as for that Randy man," added Marion, "be patient with him, sweetie. I've heard plenty of young lads like him and they're all not used to meeting a princess outside of her floaty dresses and prim properness. Give him time and you'll find him absolutely wonderful. Don't let your stubbornness get to you Mylene; something tells me that Randy could be the one."


	10. Flaring Tempers

**Runaway**

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**Chapter 10: Flaring Tempers**

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***Author's Note: Quite a bit of language used in the later half of the chapter; I do apologize for you conservative readers…***

* * *

It had been just a little over a week since Mylene had joined Randy in the forests and for the princess, things couldn't have been more confusing. Just as Mylene predicted, Randy had the serious case of mood swings—one day he would tease her and the next day he'd withdraw himself from her. In addition, Mylene hadn't had the chance to get to know him at all; it was difficult attempting to get anything out of him when he was either completely quiet or too busy making fun of her, but in a rather cynical tone. When he wasn't ignoring her, he usually chose something about her, whether it be the way she spoke or the way she dressed, and poked fun at her about it.

Mylene couldn't understand the reason behind Randy's mood swings and she was beginning to feel extremely frustrated. She had to admit she was not the most patient person in the world and was amazed she'd somehow put up with Randy for almost two weeks. There were even times when Randy snapped at her for no reason and that began to irritate her. She just wanted to know what was up with him and he would shoo her away whenever she tried asking about him in any way.

_If Randy decides to make fun of my hair again, I'm going to cast an Adhesive Charm on his lips so he'd shut the hell up,_ thought Mylene to herself, as she slid on her britches and tied up her brown leather bustier. She secured her blonde curls in a side ponytail, as she was tired of the usual braid she usually tied it up in. She wasn't going to listen to Randy calling her a flower girl after she'd put some wildflowers in her hair the previous day.

She still couldn't help but admit how _hot_ Randy was. From his sinfully thin lips to the intricate network of tattooed artwork that traveled all the way up to his massively muscled biceps, Randy brought the word 'handsome' to a whole new level. She swore she'd seen him before but somehow couldn't form it together.

"Could he perhaps be the man you've been dreaming about in your sleep?" Marion suggested the last time they conversed, which was just a few days ago.

When Mylene dug through her pouch in search of the drawing, however, she was horrified to find that it was gone. Now she couldn't compare if Randy was the man of her dreams or not, with the sole sketch of the dream hunk on that now missing piece of paper. At first she considered asking Randy if he'd seen the scroll of paper fall out of her pouch, but realizing he'd either ignore her or respond with a cheesy pick-up line, she decides not to; after all, Randy wouldn't care if she'd lost an important sketch of the same man she dreamed of every night in her sleep.

_Why can't Randy just be a nice guy?_ Mylene wondered, _sure he's freaking hot, but it doesn't help that he's emotionally unstable._

"Hey, princess!" Randy's voice boomed in Mylene's ears, causing her to jump in surprise.

Mylene gasped in surprise when she found Randy standing directly behind her, scowling at her like she did something wrong. _Oh great, Randy, what did I do wrong now?_

"Don't worry princess, you're not in trouble," assured Randy. Mylene was shocked that Randy could read her thoughts as well. She was going to be in a state of hell if he found out she thought of him as an emotionally unstable prick.

"Then what do you want?" inquired Mylene.

"We're going hunting."

"What?"

"I said we're going hunting, princess; did I say it too soft?" said Randy roughly, glowering at her.

"I heard you the first time, thank you very much," replied Mylene, frowning back at him. She was irked at the fact that Randy referred to her as 'princess', "and why are we going hunting if we can already summon our own food to eat?"

"Survival skill, princess," answered Randy, "you want that delicious prime rib that you're served on a silver platter back in your fancy castle? Then you're going to have to kill it, skin it, chop it up, and roast it for yourself."

"I'm fine with my fresh fruits and vegetables, thank you very much," insisted Mylene.

"Please," mocked Randy sarcastically, "you need to eat meat; you're a twig. You'll be miserable eating all that boring old rabbit food for the rest of your stay in this forest. And besides, the Magus can only summon grains and fruits and vegetables for themselves; they can't just make a plate of roast pheasant appear out of thin air. Sure, you can chop up and skin the carcass, but you'll have to kill it yourself before making it look appetizing."

"And I suppose we're going to have to find something to kill first," said Mylene.

"Took you that long to figure out, didn't it, princess?" said Randy, smirking at her cockily. Mylene couldn't help but admit how well that sexy smirk suited him.

"Well can we get moving or what? It's nearly lunchtime," snapped Randy, grabbing her wrist without asking and dragging her off away from her tree.

_Could he at least ask me first before manhandling me and taking me away somewhere else unfamiliar?_ Mylene thought, irritated, _and besides, what meat are we going to find in this maze? All I see are insects and bugs and little mockingbirds that are too small to eat for a meal. _

Randy hushed her before Mylene could protest. "You're a chipper little thing, princess, but I suggest you shut up for now so we can find lunch," he hissed at her, squeezing her wrist tightly. Mylene winced slightly. "What's wrong? You can't take any pain?" he taunted her in a haughty whisper.

"I was thinking, that's all," Mylene snapped.

"Well be sure not to let your thoughts escape that big mouth of yours," sneered Randy. Suddenly, he motioned for her to stop, and the two of them hid behind a tree.

"What is it?" Mylene asked curiously.

"Shut up! I've found our game," said Randy, his voice filled with glee. Mylene peered over Randy's broad shoulder and found a young boar grazing by nearby plant bushes.

"That little thing? He's so young," gasped Mylene. She had never seen a live boar in her life, and was fascinated by it.

"It's perfect," said Randy, "perfect for our meal."

"Randy! You can't kill the little guy!" whispered Mylene, "he looks so young!"

"What do you think that hog is, a little fluffy nocturnarabbit (a dwarf-sized brown wild rabbit that lived in forests and was active at night)?" hissed Randy irritably, "that thing," he pointed to the grazing boar, "is what's served on your dinner platter every single night in that damn palace you used to live in, princess. Where do you think your three daily three-course meals come from anyway?"

"Okay, okay," sighed Mylene, "so what do we do?"

"What do _we_ do?" said Randy, "I was talking about what _you_ are going to do."

"Me?" asked Mylene, puzzled.

"That's the whole point of bringing you here, princess," replied Randy, "you're going to hunt for your own meals, and you're going to be the one preparing them all by yourself. No servants, no personal cooks, no nothing. You're going to learn exactly how those nice ribs you love are made. So I'm going to teach you some survival skills and hopefully watch you succeed."

"Okay," stuttered Mylene nervously, "so…what do I do?"

"You kill it, of course," answered Randy bluntly.

"Do I really have to?" sighed Mylene, "he's so cute; I don't want to slay the little guy."

"Toughen up and give yourself a reality check, princess, you're such a damn softie," hissed Randy, "I suppose you'd rather starve the both of us to death than save our asses by getting that nice piece of lunch for us."

"Fine," sighed Mylene, not wanting to anger Randy any longer, "I'll do it."

Randy handed her a sniper gun he'd pulled out of a miniature pouch he carried and also bewitched to hold items of various sizes and pointed at the little boar, gesturing her to aim the weapon, which was loaded with an anesthesia bullet, at it. Mylene reluctantly took the gun from Randy and looked through the scope to get an accurate aim at the boar.

Unfortunately, Mylene's hands were shaking so furiously from nervousness, when she pulled the trigger, the bullet ended up missing the boar's head by just an inch, and the little swine let out a squeal of shock upon the piercing blast of the gun, instantly taking off in the opposite direction of where Mylene and Randy were hiding behind the massive redwood tree.

Though a small part of her was relieved she hadn't ended up killing the little boar in the end, Mylene felt a wave of defeat and disappointment wash over her. She'd screwed up in front of Randy and she had a very strong feeling his reaction wasn't going to be good at all. After a long silence, Randy finally spoke.

"You just had to screw up," growled Randy, glowering at her, "YOU JUST HAD TO FUCKING SCREW UP, BITCH!"

Mylene noticed the wicked fire blazing in Randy's blue eyes as his voice raised, his face screwed with anger. She felt herself shrink slightly as Randy's large form loomed over her, flinching slightly as she noticed Randy's large palms curl up into fists. She jumped as Randy punched the tree they were standing by in frustration, knocking it completely over with his strength.

"Did you see what you just did, princess?" snarled Randy, pointing at the empty spot where the little boar was grazing before Mylene unintentionally scared it away. Mylene's eyes darted between the spot and Randy's expression filled with rage. "That little runt was going to be our lunch, and you screwed up that fucking chance. You see why you're such a nuisance? _You just can't do anything right._ You know why you can't survive in this damn forest? Same reason; you can't do _anything_ right!"

Mylene jumped in shock when she noticed Randy had accidentally set a leaf on fire with a loose spark that escaped his fingers. However Randy promptly stepped on the leaf and stepped closer to her. In response, Mylene backed away from him, scurrying backwards, away from Randy, whose massively large steps were much faster and broader than her tiny feet.

"You're a fucking nuisance because _you can't do anything right_!" Randy continued to bellow cruel insults at Mylene as he continued stomping towards her, eventually cornering her to another tree, "you've been nothing but trouble ever since I had to save your stupid, worthless ass from that beast! All you do is annoy the hell out of me and waste my precious time. All you do is make yourself look helpless and innocent and make me do things for you. I'm not your _fucking_ servant, princess; just because I'm not in the same social class as you, doesn't mean you have to _fucking_ treat me like I'm your _fucking_ slave. I swear, having you floating around while I'm minding my own damn business is _fucking torture, _and you yakking on and on about whatever makes no sense to me is _suffering_. This isn't a playground where you can do as you please; this is reality. This isn't your pretty little castle where you have food served to you on a silver platter—food that you don't even know where it comes from. Do you expect me to serve you like how you're served in that _fucking_ palace you ran away from? If you want your people doing everything for your _spoiled little ass_, then why don't you just go back to where you came from and leave _my_ fucking ass alone? _Besides, you're nothing but a useless, worthless bitch of a princess anyway._" Randy spat at her, his menacing words filled with poison and ruthlessness.

It was as though a fuse suddenly blew in Mylene's brain. All she could hear was those same words echoing in her head…

_You're nothing but a useless, worthless bitch of a princess_.

It seemed as though every other insult Randy continued to throw at her was completely deaf to her ears. The innocent little girl inside of Mylene suddenly transformed into something completely opposite; something Mylene hadn't realized had ever existed inside of her before. All of a sudden, her mind went black, and Mylene snapped.

"Oh, so you think I'm _nothing but a useless, worthless bitch of a princess_? HAVEN'T YOU CONSIDERED YOURSELF, YOU SELFISH, WHINING, COLD-HEARTED SON OF A BITCH?" screamed Mylene, shoving Randy roughly backwards, "IS THAT ALL I REALLY AM TO YOU, ASSHOLE?"

"Oh, _now_ you think you can talk back at me like that—"

A loud whack interrupted his comeback, and it took mere seconds before a red mark appeared on the side of Randy's right cheek.

"YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME, ASSHOLE!" shrilled Mylene, jabbing her finger at Randy's chest, "I DON'T CARE TO LISTEN TO YOU DEGRADING ME ANY FURTHER. IN FACT, I'D RATHER YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH AND LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. YOU KEEP TELLING ME THAT I'M USELESS AND WORTHLESS AND WHATEVER INSULT YOU WANT TO DERIDE ME WITH, BUT I'M SICK OF YOU SHOVING HURTFUL COMMENTS INTO MY FACE WHEN I'VE DONE NOTHING TO YOU AT ALL. THERE WAS A REASON WHY I RAN AWAY FROM THAT DAMN PALACE, AND THAT WAS TO ESCAPE THE 'LUXURIOUS' LIFESTYLE I'VE BEEN FORCED TO LIVE IN THROUGHOUT MY WHOE LIFE."

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT _TORTURE_ IS, ORTON?" shrieked Mylene. Randy was just about to argue back, but Mylene cut him off quickly before he could open his mouth to speak, "_TORTURE_ IS HAVING TO LIVE WITH A DEMON FATHER WHO MAKES YOU DO ALL THESE STUPID RITUALS AND THINGS JUST TO BENEFIT HIMSELF AND HIS FUTURE! _TORTURE_ IS NOT BEING ABLE TO EXPLORE THE WORLD OUTSIDE THAT PALACE THROUGHOUT YOUR WHOLE LIFE BEING COOPED UP IN YOUR ROOM 24/7 UNLESS YOU'RE CALLED DOWN TO GET LECTURED ON YOUR FLAWS BY YOUR OWN PARENTS! _TORTURE_ IS YOUR FATHER ARRANGING AN ENGAGEMENT WITH A STRANGER TWICE YOUR AGE AND A MAGI HUNTER WHEN YOU YOURSELF, IRONICALLY, ARE A MAGUS!"

"AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT _SUFFERING_ IS, YOU SON OF A BITCH?" Mylene was practically screaming her lungs out; she was so angry, so infuriated, so enraged; she hadn't realized the words spitting out of her mouth nastily at a nonplussed Randy. She hadn't realized she'd drawn to her full height, looming over Randy despite being an entire foot shorter than him, shooting sparks from her flared nostrils. She hadn't even realized Randy was completely speechless and trembling beneath her, as her blue eyes flashed like lightning and her usually gentle and timid voice boomed like aggressive thunder.

"_SUFFERING_ IS HAVING THAT STRANGER MOLESTING YOU AT EVERY CHANCE HE GETS, FROM SLIPPING HIS HAND UP YOUR SKIRT TO EVEN THE EXTENT OF SNEAKING UP TO YOUR BEDROOM AND BURYING HIS FAT HEAD IN YOUR NECK WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING! _SUFFERING _IS WAKING UP EVERY MORNING KNOWING YOUR LIFE IS AT STAKE BECAUSE YOUR FIANCE COULD POTENTIALLY KILL YOU UPON FINDING OUT YOU'RE AN ILLEGAL BEING IN THE KINGDOM! AND LASTLY, _SUFFERING_ IS NOT HAVING ANYONE BY YOUR SIDE WHO CAN PUT A STOP TO IT, BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST PEASANTS SERVING THE KING AND HAVE NO AUTHORITATIVE POWER OVER HIM WHATSOEVER!"

"SO I SUGGEST YOU GET A _FUCKING_ REALITY CHECK, ORTON, BECAUSE NO ONE BUT ME TRULY KNOWS WHAT TORTURE AND SUFFERING ARE!" Mylene was shouting till her voice was hoarse, but she didn't care. She was so infuriated she didn't care she was possibly going to end up with a sore throat the next morning. "AND IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP AND BE GRATEFUL THAT I'M HELPING YOU WITH THAT IMPROPERLY FUNCTIONING BRAIN OF YOURS, YOU CAN GO JUMP OFF A CLIFF SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH ME ANYMORE AND MAYBE THE DEVIL CAN PROVIDE YOU SOMETHING EXCITING TO DO WHILE YOU'RE IN FUCKING HELL!"

Mylene summoned the rifle up into the air and commanded it to fly crashing into Randy's chest, knocking the wind out of him, sending him tripping over a tree branch behind him and crashing down onto the ground. Mylene let out a 'hmph!', lifted her head up high, and strutted away, leaving a scandalized yet confounded Randy Orton gaping at her with his jaw dropped to the ground, completely stunned at what had just happened.


	11. Taking an Interest

****Runaway****

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**Chapter 11: Taking an Interest**

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***Author's Note: So in a recap, Randy and Mylene go hunting until Mylene fails to capture their prize, and Randy gets pissed at Mylene. The next thing he realizes, Mylene's all fired up and screaming in his face. Now let us see what our hot sexy friend (ehem, I mean Randy) has to think, say, or do about it…***

**P.S. There is a little explicit part just in the second half of this chapter, just as a warning for those who aren't ready for that sort of language…**

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Randy trudged his way back to his campsite, shrinking his rifle and tucking it into his pocket, his back bent over slightly due to the aching feeling that irritated him greatly. He couldn't figure out why, but something on his mind was bothering him.

He pictured the dark blue eyes that flamed at him. The curly blonde hair that cackled with thunder as her usually soft, innocent voice roared violently at him. The willowy 5'5'' figure that seemed to loom over his much taller and broader frame as she cursed and swore at him, the words escaping her mouth lashing him like a whip and the long-lasting effects like poison.

Somehow he couldn't seem to force the malicious invectives out of his ears, her sharp, defiant voice still echoing in his mind. He felt deaf to everything in the world around him as he watched her blue eyes blazing intensely at him with every insult she spat from her pink, pouty lips. At that very moment, all he heard or saw around him was the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty.

As he struggled to shut his brain off to take an afternoon nap once he reached the confines of his tent (which he'd magically bewitched to be as spacious as a small cottage), Randy couldn't seem to tear its concentration off of thoughts of the seemingly innocent and naïve princess. The flashback of her screaming her lungs at him in anger kept replaying itself when he shut his eyes. He couldn't help but find himself intrigued—very, very intrigued.

From his past experiences with women, Randy expected the sole reaction for them to throw themselves at him and invite themselves to his bed. He was a very good-looking man; he knew plenty of women who had felt an instant attraction towards him. He knew perfectly well that all those women wanted from him were some action in the bedroom.

Sometimes there were women who feared him, for he did have the menacing glare of a viper and could spit poison when caught at the worst moments. He could intimidate them and have them scamper away like scared rabbits, never daring to face him again.

But this was not the case for Mylene Akermann.

From their first meeting, after saving her from the beast that was about to kill her, Randy expected a pretty girl like her to instantly fall for him. He'd felt a slight lift of hope when their eyes of the same shade met and he noticed a twinkle in hers, but that was cut off shortly when Randy let his inner cocky self take over and unintentionally repel her away slightly. Oddly, at their first meeting, Randy instantly recognized her as the heir to the Akermann throne, but after that he had to keep reminding himself of the huge class difference between him and Mylene.

She was a princess from the most prestigious royal family in all of Secretum, even further beyond that, for her ancestors were distinguishingly famous and well-known everywhere. She was a blueblood bred in the finest castle and in the finest living conditions, with servants tending to her needs every day and every night. She could be considered the most precious gem of the kingdom of Secretum.

He, however, was a rogue and a former criminal, a Magus who'd been wanted by Secretum since he'd just finished puberty. He was wanted for allegedly provoking some lord a couple of years ago, when all he'd done was question him on his treatment towards one of his fellow colleagues. He hadn't committed a crime or anything, yet he knew straying into Secretum could guarantee him a one-way ticket to the dreaded prisons.

In other words, Randy knew there was no way he was going to get the attentions of a girl of royalty. In order to make himself seem like the low-class criminal he was, he repelled Mylene's attempts to converse with him, however he couldn't help but find the princess quite attractive, so one day he teased her and the next day he completely ignored her or snapped at her.

He initially believed Mylene to be innocent, naïve, and clueless, just like all of the other women he'd bedded in the past. He initially thought of her as a helpless, airheaded blonde who'd ask how high when told to jump. He thought she'd be nothing but a waste of space or possibly some company in his bed had she not been so immature and girly.

However his thoughts proved him wrong that mid-morning after he'd reprimanded her for her carelessness, and instead of her cowering away from him, she did the very last thing he'd expected her to do.

She raised her hand to him.

And to add to that, she screamed at him.

Mylene hadn't responded to him the way most women did towards him, especially after he'd called her useless and pathetic for failing to kill that young boar. She'd gotten very, very pissed at him—pissed to the point where she'd actually raised her hand to him and whipped him across the face. Not a single woman had been close to attacking him physically, hell not even men would've had the balls to do such a thing, but Mylene stood up to him; the innocent, young, naïve Mylene stood up to him. She was the very last person he'd expected to stand up to him without any flicker of fear in their eyes. She hadn't shown any sign of anxiety when she yelled at him; she was fully confident standing up to him.

Randy was extremely intrigued; strangely, he was fascinated by her. She possessed a spark he'd never seen in her before, as she'd initially come off as a prim, proper princess. He'd thought she'd be a spoiled brat and force him to be his servant. But Mylene was in a category all by herself. She was far from the brat he thought of her to be at first.

Randy decided he'd pay a visit to Mylene first, to at least apologize to her for his actions. He figured now that she no longer irritated him, he'd at least try and genuinely show her the true side of him. He didn't want to get hit by another firestorm of amplified swearing the next time they clashed.

He found her usual spot by the tree to be empty, confirming this by summoning a handful of Visibility Powder and tossing it over her area. He wonders if she's gone off to the waterfall to fetch a drink, and that's where he heads next. As Randy approaches the brook, where a majestic waterfall fell from the top of a cliff, the waves crashing down onto the side of the brook. Inside that cascade of water was a small cavern where Randy sometimes went to meditate. Randy wondered whether she was hiding in there, contemplating her thoughts as well.

However, it didn't take him long to find the familiar head of bouncy blonde curls peeking out from a rock by the side of the brook. She was sitting by the edge of the brook, appearing to concoct something in a small mortar and pestle she appeared to have magically carved from stone. She was dropping what looked like an assortment of herbs, plants, and even mud into the pestle, the mortar magically chopping it up and mixing it into a solution.

Randy smiled as he surveyed her looking so relaxed, though he could closely tell her jaw was twitching slightly. Not much time had passed since their dramatic argument, so Randy figured she was still trying to release her thoughts of anger from her head. Randy silently cast a Concealing Charm on himself so she wouldn't notice he was watching her; he knew there was still a bit of anger bubbling inside of her and he certainly didn't want to hear her shrieking her head off at him for the second time in a day. He continued to observe her sitting by the brook; he liked the fact that she was completely oblivious to being under his watch. Just then, Mylene summoned for the mortar to stop, levitating it into the air and placing it gently next to the pestle. She undid her messy side plait and ran her fingers through her hair, combing it and fluffing it slightly.

The princess stood up from where she was sitting by the brook and bent over to undo the ties of her boots. Randy couldn't help but dart his eyes towards her nicely arched back, he'd never noticed what a nice ass she had peeking out as she was in that position. She kicked off the boots and her socks followed after.

Mylene's small, nimble fingers crawled up to the strings of bustier and began pulling at them, and once the brown leather material had been tossed away from her body, Randy was suddenly aware of what Mylene was doing—taking off her clothes—and much to Randy's surprise, she hadn't cast any concealing charms to cover herself as she undressed.

_Perhaps she's still pissed from our argument and she's probably still caught up with her anger, she forgot to cover up herself,_ Randy thought with a smirk, his inner flame of lust dancing in excitement. At this point, Randy was becoming more and more interested in the feisty princess.

He wasn't going to bother telling her to put up a Concealing Charm; after all, he knew he was going to enjoy what would follow next. Besides, he couldn't draw attention to himself and let the princess know he was spying on her while she was undressing.

Randy snapped back to reality when Mylene's small hands began lifting up her ¾ sleeve blouse, her fingers hooked deftly onto the hem of the shirt. His mouth began to water as more of her lightly tanned skin was exposed. Mylene arched her back, pulling the white fabric up with her arms that stretched high in the air, revealing a flat and toned stomach that made Randy's inner hormones hoot and holler in excitement. He felt as though his vision had gone in slow motion; through his aroused blue eyes he could see Mylene's fingers pulling up her blouse slower and slower by the centimeter of skin exposed. Finally, after what felt like hours to Randy, the thin, white material was off of her slender body, lying in a heaped pile along with her previous articles of clothing.

Randy swore his britches grew three sizes smaller as his eyes locked with the twin orbs of perfection resting high on Mylene's chest. The lust inside of him cheered like a schoolboy when he observed she hadn't worn a bra underneath her blouse. _I suppose that's what that bustier was for_, Randy reminded himself silently.

Drawing his attention back to Mylene's breasts, Randy's darting eyes reveled in them. Heavens, he hadn't seen any woman's breasts as high and round as hers, the dark pink nubs of her nipples small and pointy. They were a little large for her sylphlike figure; exactly the way Randy liked them. The pebbled, puckered points of the corpulent mounds of flesh screamed for his lips to suckle them. Randy licked his lips; he loved what he saw on the beautiful princess. If the sight of her breasts were more than enough to make him agitated, he could hardly wait to see how capable her fully nude body was in turning him on.

The next article of clothing to go was the brown britches that matched her bustier. Mylene wasted no time in shoving off the knee-length capris, the cotton material pooling at her feet. She stepped out of them quickly along with her silk panties. Randy let out a deep breath, his heart racing at miles per hour as he eyed her perfectly shaped figure up and down. He sighed as he looked down at the nest of light brown curls between her thighs; she was gloriously naked and unmarked as if it stayed that way since the day of her birth. His eyes traveled along her smooth skin, down from her shapely legs, to her flaring hips and skinny waist, to her perky round breasts and all the way up to where her cheeks glowed with youthful radiance. Randy had much difficulty controlling himself; never before had he ever seen anything as beautiful as Mylene's svelte, hourglass figure, bare-naked before him and for his inner lust to drink in.

Randy watched Mylene bend over to pick up the pestle of her concoction—he'd completely forgotten about it with the sight of her naked body enticing him—and turn her back towards him, making her way towards the torrent of water raining down from the cliff fifty feet overlooking the brook. His eyes darted to the twin globes of Mylene's perfectly shaped bottom swaying from side to side as she took graceful steps walking towards the waterfall; God, he had never seen anything so beautiful and tantalizing. His heart stopped for a second when she stepped underneath the falling torrents of clear water, allowing herself to soak her body momentarily.

He couldn't find the words to describe the magnificent and marvelous sight unfolding before his very eyes. All he could do was mercilessly torture himself, watching Mylene's blonde curls darken and plaster to her wet skin, which shimmered brightly underneath the sun's rays. With his excellent vision, Randy could see droplets of water clinging to her delectable body. The sight of her completely naked underneath the roaring waterfall was too much for him to bear.

_God, she's so perfect_, thought Randy gleefully, greatly aroused by the blonde beauty bathing before his very eyes. He noticed she'd stepped out of the waterfall temporarily, her hair soaked and clinging to her shoulders. She dipped her hand in the pestle and spread what looked like a dark brown paste into her hair, combing her fingers through her curly locks, making it appear as though she had dark lowlights in her signature blonde mane. Randy raised his eyebrows curiously, wondering if this was a special kind of shampoo meant for her golden princess locks.

Once Mylene coated her entire head of hair with that brown paste, she sat down by the brook to rinse out the remaining paste on her hands, cupping a handful of water into her face and giving it a quick splash. She stepped into the water and waded around for a little bit before swimming towards the waterfall to rinse her hair.

The answer to Randy's question was handed to him as he observed Mylene ducking her head underneath the showers of the waterfall. He gasped as he witnessed something amazing happen. The dark paste in her hair appeared to have seeped into her hair, completely concealing the blonde color and transforming it into a rich chocolate brown. Randy also noticed her hair had noticeably become straighter than it originally had been, greatly contrasting the golden Rapunzel curls she originally had.

As Randy watched her dry off and change back into her clothes, he swiftly yet reluctantly parted away from the scene, burning the images of Mylene, her irresistible body, and her new hair into his mind. He'd just witnessed what was possibly the sexiest thing he'd ever seen in his life; from Mylene stripping out of her clothes in front of him (oblivious to her, of course), to ridding herself of her princess blonde hair and changing it to a sensual milky chocolate. Watching the princess drastically transform all in one day was one thing Randy couldn't have been more grateful for. He found himself more and more attracted to Mylene.

Somehow, as he settled back into the comfort of his spacious tent, he couldn't help but muse over Mylene. Now, with her new hair and undeniably svelte figure, Randy couldn't escape his head from sensual thoughts of the beautiful princess. He felt his insides burn with lust as he recollected the pictures of a fully naked Mylene, enticing him further while standing underneath the cascades of the majestic waterfall raining down from the cliff above. He captured every single detail of her perfect form, savoring what he unfortunately could only look but not touch. His fingers itched to caress her youthful skin and pull her lithe frame against his own, just to feel what it would be like to have her in his arms. He wished he could comb his hands through her newly dyed brunette locks, touch every single part of her, and plant his lips wherever he could on her.

Somehow, Mylene was the only thing that occupied Randy's mind. After watching her bathe by the brook, Randy's fascination with Mylene grew more and more intense, more and more…lustful. He'd always thought Mylene was a very pretty girl, but after seeing her in her true goddess form, he strangely felt even more drawn towards her.

Suddenly, Randy found himself _attracted_, very, very _attracted_ to Mylene. After ridding herself of her typical golden locks of fairytale princess hair, Mylene was now the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. He couldn't recall the last time he'd found himself so fascinated with any woman he'd met before, until he and Mylene crossed paths that day two weeks ago. At first he thought she wasn't good enough for him, for she was a princess and he a pauper. But now he looked upon his previous actions and behavior towards her with remorse, wanting to hurt himself for even daring to tick her off. He couldn't help but feel sorrowful for chastising her, which in turn, led to their shouting match that Mylene mostly dominated.

_I should probably apologize to her to at least redeem myself,_ Randy meditated silently, whipping an energy bar out of thin air and ripping open the packaging, _if I want the attentions of the beautiful princess then I need to make myself look like an approachable guy. Then, she'll probably change her mind and I can take the chance to get to know her more._

* * *

**Post-chapter note: **Oooh! Randy's being a very naughty boy!

(I just had to put that in XD)


	12. Seeing Her in a New Light

****Runaway****

* * *

**Chapter 12: Seeing Her in a New Light**

* * *

***Author's Note: Randy was being a very naughty boy in the previous chapter…now let's see if he can score his luck and get Mylene's attentions again…***

* * *

Three days had passed since their heated argument, and in the duration of those three days, Mylene refused to speak or even see Randy. Whenever Randy tried to pay her a visit by her tree he always found it empty. Through his trained seventh Magus sense he could tell she'd conjured up a Concealing Charm to hide herself from him. He once tried giving her a peace offering in the form of a basket of apples, but returned back to his campsite that same evening to find the same gift sitting by his tent, every single fruit untouched and unchanged. He recalled the previous evening when he placed a bouquet of flowers he'd conjured up himself by her tree while she was away, but this morning he woke up to find the ribbon holding the stems together partially burnt and ripped (the flowers, on the other hand, were not as lucky).

From Mylene's ignorance towards him, Randy could tell she was very, very mad at him, even long after their argument when she failed to capture their meat. He knew Mylene was stubborn and that was one of the traits he liked about her, but he already felt rather lonely without the company of the sweet, innocent princess. He truly was sorry for his unruly behavior towards her, but she didn't seem to get the message. Randy sighed and tossed away his unlit cigarette, not forgetting to throw the remaining unopened boxes into the fireplace. Smoking usually helped him calm his nerves, but in this case it wasn't doing him any good. After all, he was beginning to feel rather sick of the tar staining his lungs.

Randy sat on a dead log by the fireplace, watching the orange flames blazing violently as it incinerated his now useless stress relievers. Somehow the flames seemed to remind him of the wicked fire he saw in Mylene's electric blue eyes as she screamed at him that day. He'd never seen anyone's blue eyes blazing so maliciously but Mylene's whenever they were angered. He loved the way it flared up from its neutral dark blue tone just as he was fascinated with the rest of her.

Although he was worried about her, at the same time, Randy couldn't keep his head out of dirty thoughts of Mylene. There were times when he spaced out into a sexual fantasy involving him and the brunette princess until an incorrigible sound would interrupt him and snap him back to reality. He couldn't help it. She was just that alluring to his senses. He couldn't say he minded fantasizing about Mylene though; he couldn't think of a single straight male that wouldn't muse over a princess of such stunning beauty. But Randy knew he couldn't be attracted to Mylene's good looks alone.

He wanted to find out so much more about her. Her courage to stand up to him—and especially her change in look—only intrigued him greatly to her, and all he wanted was to get to know her more; more than just the gorgeous beauty that captured his attention. He wanted to know what else was so special about the young princess aside from her defiance and headstrong personality. He wanted to know why she escaped the palace and he wanted to know everything about her.

Somehow, Randy could no longer see Mylene as a prickly, spoiled brat of a princess. He now could only see her as a very intriguing beauty that he was greatly drawn to. Never in his life had he found himself so attracted to a young woman like Mylene.

Randy jumped out of his seat when he heard a loud _thud_ boom right next to his ears. He glanced down to find a massive dead boar, already skinned and cleaned out from the inside. He looked up to see where it had come from and instantly felt rather horrible inside when he realized it had been given to him by a newly brunette Mylene Akermann.

"Mylene!" he called out to the princess, who was already walking away and not bothering to look at him.

"What?" demanded Mylene, whirling around to face him, and Randy felt his breath catch in his throat.

Randy struggled to find his words upon having his breath taken away by Mylene's exquisite beauty. Her signature head of blonde curls had transformed into a rich, chocolate brown and was noticeably straighter, but still remained a similar texture in soft, loose waves that cascaded down to her chest. The dark shades of her hair seemed to have enhanced the blue in her eyes—the deep ocean blue strikingly stood out in contrast to her new brunette locks. The apples of her cheeks seemed to have become rosier, and her soft pink lips stood out against her skin, which appeared paler than before. Randy had to shake out of his wandering imagination to answer Mylene. He couldn't help but marvel in her beauty—her sweet face resembled a perfect porcelain doll.

"I...I just wanted to say…" Even now, talking to Mylene face to face was a challenge for the unusually awkward rogue.

"Say what?" snapped Mylene, her stunning blue eyes flaming wickedly at him, "_It's about time you stopped being such a girl and finally got that little swine?_"

"N-n-n-no…" Randy heard his deep voice crack slightly and he coughed in an attempt to cover up his nervousness. Mylene's dark eyelashes narrowed at him.

"Then what do you want?" she asked briskly, placing her hands on her hips and tilting sideways, drawing Randy's eyes towards her flared hips.

"I…I just want to…talk…" stuttered Randy, unable to concentrate on what Mylene was saying rather than what she looked like.

Mylene's eyes flew wide and she gaped at him in shock. "What?" she exclaimed in surprise, "Wh-wh-wha-_what is wrong with you_?"

"Nothing," insisted Randy, though he was shifting uncomfortably in his seat due to the sudden shrinkage of the size of his britches.

"Yeah right," scoffed Mylene sarcastically, "not too long ago you yelled at me for being a pathetic, helpless, good-for-nothing princess, then you stay silent for three days, and _now you want to talk_?"

"Ummm…yeah," replied Randy, nodding, "that's pretty much what I just said."

"I don't have time for this," said Mylene bluntly, beginning to walk back to her tree, but Randy jumped out of his seat and grabbed Mylene by the wrist, pulling her back before one could blink twice.

"Mylene," begged Randy, "please, I really want to talk."

"Well I don't," sneered Mylene in a low growl, which surprisingly intimidated Randy, "so let go of me or I'll cast a spell that turn you into a hog, then I'll roast you for dinner and have you served on a platter with a fat apple shoved into that big ugly mouth of yours."

Randy was extremely shocked at Mylene's resistance towards him. Since their argument he could tell Mylene was still angry with him, but he hadn't realized that since that day she'd become rather…_feisty_.

"Please, it's important," Randy insisted, indicating to her that he was really serious about this, "I really want to talk through this with you. No yelling, no insults, no nothing. Just the two of us talking in a civilized manner."

Mylene raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and stared at him in disbelief. She was utterly confused at Randy's change in behavior towards her. Perhaps the way she stood up to him that day seemed to have intimidated him greatly.

"This is a joke, right?" asked Mylene skeptically, as Randy magically sliced up the boar and summoned a few pieces into a frying pan he'd conjured up, letting the meat simmer on top of the fire. He wrapped the rest of it into a brown paper bag and made it disappear.

"I never said it was a joke," insisted Randy.

"You're serious?" Mylene could hardly believe her ears. For once, Randy Orton wasn't teasing her, ignoring her, or insulting her with cruel torments. For once, he actually wanted a normal conversation with her. She was utterly surprised at this calm demeanor he was showing her at this very moment.

"Dead serious," confirmed Randy, fishing out the pieces of pork and placing them onto a large leaf, which he used as a plate. He shifted over slightly and patted the empty spot of the log next to him, gesturing for Mylene to take a seat next to him.

Mylene eyed him suspiciously as she walked around the fire to take a seat next to Randy, but keeping her distance away from him. She still didn't trust him to be courtly at all, especially since he'd yelled at her and insulted her deeply.

Randy, on the other hand, watched Mylene's slender 5'5'' figure strut towards him as she came over to take a seat on his log. He was entranced by Mylene, who wore a loose white kaftan top with a thick belt around her waist, hugging her curves, and brown capris with matching knee-high boots. He secretly knew what was inside of those clothes, and hell he wanted to take a good look at her once more, but he reminded himself how that wouldn't be appropriate at all, to allow naughty thoughts of the princess wander in his dirty little mind.

He offered her some meat and she blatantly refused by making a fruit bowl appear out of thin air. Though he insisted her in taking some, she protested and assured him she was fine with her fruit and veggie diet. In his opinion, however, Randy didn't think so. It had been three days since he'd last seen her and she'd gotten very skinny in the duration of those last three days. He urged her to at least take a bite of the freshly cooked meat; he didn't want her to lose that sultry hourglass figure of hers. But for obvious reasons, he wasn't going to bring that fact up to her.

"I insist, princ—I mean, Mylene," Randy urged her, begging her to take a piece, "I don't want you to starve yourself to death by eating nothing but fruits and veggies. I understand it's healthy for you, but you need some protein as well."

He wasn't going to pressure her if she didn't want to be pressured; after all, if he wanted to capture her attentions, he needed to be patient and courteous towards her. He needed to be a gentleman.

However at the same time, he was concerned about her. He was afraid Mylene wouldn't be able to fend for herself from wandering beasts and other dangerous wildlife and he feared her stubbornness could potentially get herself killed. In addition, he couldn't let the princess starve herself to death, but in order to get her to listen to him, he needed to be gentle with her.

Mylene finally gave in, taking a piece of the meat into her mouth, letting the meat melt on her tongue and the taste tickle her taste buds. She couldn't help but admit Randy's cooked meat was the most delicious thing she'd eaten in a while.

"You like it?" asked Randy, silently congratulating himself as he watched Mylene nodding in approval while she consumed her share of meat.

"Not bad," said Mylene, keeping her tone civil though she was still angry with him, "maybe I should cook next time."

"You might not want to burn yourself, though," chuckled Randy. He realized this mistake of attempting to joke with her and took back his words when he saw Mylene glaring at him.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" asked Mylene, frowning and not amused at all.

"Sorry, bad timing," Randy quickly stuttered, embarrassed at his attempt to make her laugh. Mylene raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head in disbelief.

"Look Mylene, now I'm being serious, so please listen to me," said Randy, begging for Mylene's full attention. It took him all of his strength and control not to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her in towards him; he knew she needed some distance from him if she still wasn't too happy with him.

From listening to his sincere tone of voice, Mylene could tell Randy was actually very serious about the conversation he was attempting to initiate between them. She glanced up at him and her gut clinched Randy's ocean blue eyes were piercing into her own matching ones.

"I want to apologize for my actions three days ago, when I shouldn't have snapped at you for failing to kill that little boar," started Randy, "I was obviously not the most sympathetic person in the world and I thought I could actually make you do something for yourself, like killing a boar for lunch—something that a princess usually wouldn't do all by herself. I got pissed when you missed that aim, but after you got into my face and stood up to me—something that I hadn't expected at all from you—I realized I'd taken it too far with my insults."

Randy confessed his heartfelt apology to Mylene, omitting the parts about him being fascinated by her and then spying on her showering (for obvious reasons), pouring out every single bit of guilt and sorrow into his expression of regret. He was truly honest about his change of heart and would do anything to make it up to Mylene. He silently prayed the princess would accept his apology and forgive him, and then he could take the chance to get to know her more.

Mylene nodded slowly, listening to Randy pour out his appeal of apology onto her. She was shocked that he actually cared to bury the hatchet between them; it was something she hadn't expected at all from the stubborn, inflexible Randy Orton. She was rather taken aback when he begged for her forgiveness and pledged he'd do whatever he can to make it up to her.

She'd sort of made up for her failure to kill that little boar her first time by discreetly giving him that large boar she'd conveniently found grazing near her hideaway this morning, hoping he'd at least forgive her for her unsuccessful shot three days ago. She fully expected him to scoff to her, "It's about time you learned some survival skills, princess." But she surprisingly hadn't heard anything cynical sputter from his mouth at all since he called out to her.

A little part of her wanted to forgive him, her naturally being a nice person and all. But Mylene believed she couldn't just let Randy go on the spot. In order to fully forgive him, she needed to trust that he wouldn't mistreat her again—Randy needed to earn her trust in order to completely get on her good side, and then she'd willingly open up to him and show him her true, sweet nature.

"I'll consider your apology, Randy," said Mylene, looking at the 6'4'' man dead straight in the eyes courageously, not flinching the slightest despite his towering figure, "but that doesn't mean you're completely off the hook. You'll have to show me that you're truly sorry, and then I _just might_ consider forgiving you and we can be on better terms. Start thinking, Orton. Time's running out."


	13. Denial and Wonder

****Runaway****

* * *

**Chapter 13: Denial and Wonder**

* * *

***Author's Note: Will Mylene grant Randy her forgiveness in this episode? Just read on and find out…***

* * *

Mylene collapsed onto her bed of leaves with a lot of thoughts circling her mind at that moment. She could hardly believe what she'd seen and what she'd heard from Randy earlier. For the first time, he hadn't shouted at her, insulted her, or ignored her. He hadn't had anything nasty to say to her, nor had he given her a single menacing glare. For the first time, Randy Orton had actually _talked_ to her in a _civilized_ manner.

He actually _apologized_ for snapping at her when she'd failed to kill that boar for lunch that other day, making Mylene slightly wonder if Randy was pulling a practical joke on her. She hadn't seen this _sincere_ side of Randy and she hadn't realized that side of Randy actually existed, until he spoke to her that afternoon.

She still wondered if Randy was truly honest about his apologetic confession to her. She had to admit he sounded very sincere when he apologized to her, and he did sound as though he was really sorry for what he'd done to her. She saw from the way his blue eyes softened as he looked at her eye-to-eye while making his confession, and from what she saw, he wanted her forgiveness.

_But I still don't know if he's either pulling an act or if he really is sorry for it,_ thought Mylene, _I don't know whether to forgive him or not just yet_.

Mylene recalled telling Randy that he needed to earn her forgiveness rather than wait for her to grant it to him. She hadn't the slightest idea where that statement had come from, actually. Stupid her for speaking out before thinking twice about it.

_Now I've put the poor guy under pressure,_ Mylene reflected, _I don't know what he'll do to try and earn his forgiveness, but I wish I hadn't told him that. Maybe I was a little hard on him, especially after that heartfelt apology he told me while looking me in the eyes._

His eyes. Those twin orbs of cloudy blue sparked with electricity, sending jolts throughout her entire body. For that moment when Randy looked at Mylene in the eyes and held her hand as he apologized to her, Mylene found it difficult to avert her gaze away from Randy's striking features. His face was well-defined and structured handsomely, just the right amount of five o'clock shadow stubble he grew out in the past week or two giving him that rugged look, which suited him well. Aside from his piercing blue eyes his chiseled 6'4'' towered her smaller, softly defined yet curvy 5'5'' frame.

Mylene found herself attracted to Randy's masculinity and handsome features, but she needed to know more about him before taking the first step. She hadn't fallen in love before but she wasn't stupid; she wasn't into the whole 'love at first sight' thing. Not even Randy Orton could change that, despite him being the most handsome man she'd ever met in her life.

_Oh God, I can't get over how handsome he is_, Mylene thought with a sigh, _but he's got to be more than just a hunk on the outside. I want to know him more, but I need to be less harsh on him with the whole 'earning his forgiveness' thing. _

On another note, when Mylene found herself lost in Randy's fathomless ocean blue eyes, aside from the sparks jolting her nerves, she felt something else—nostalgia.

She wasn't entirely sure, but she swore she'd seen Randy before. Whether it was in a past life or in a vision, she still couldn't quite figure out.

At the same time, however, her sexual nightly fantasies with her mystery dream partner were getting raunchier and more explicit, and coincidentally, those dreams involved her not being able to see her mystery partner at all. Often all she saw of her dream partner were his eyes—a deep, gorgeous ocean blue, filled with such emotion and love as he gazed into her eyes.

They were the exact same color as Randy's, the exact same twinkle and shade of blue and all, but unlike her dream partner's, Randy's eyes lacked the unadulterated love and passion she envisioned in her dreams. The sparkle in his eyes that made her shudder, however, was exactly the same.

Mylene brushed off the thoughtful question of Randy being that dream partner she fantasized about in her sleep. She couldn't waste all that time pondering about such a ridiculous question like that; she highly doubted Randy had romantic feelings for her at all. They were two completely different individuals from two completely different worlds; she was royalty—proper, prim, and raised to be a queen, but Randy was a wanted criminal living in the forbidden forests for God knows when. It was highly unlikely that Randy would be attracted to someone completely opposite from his reserved, withdrawn personality. Even if they did end up together, she doubted the relationship would last long.

_Randy's just being a gentleman for once and apologizing for his wrongdoing towards me that day, _Mylene reminded herself silently, _he wouldn't have feelings for a naïve, innocent princess like me. _

Little did Mylene realize, though, the silent rogue she'd joined in his encampment would mentally debate over the same topic at that very same night.

* * *

_She groaned as he tore his lips away from hers and pulled away just close enough to revel in her gorgeous features. Her face was shielded with an intricate mask made of gold, covering everything except from her eyes and down from the cheekbone. Her eyes glowed a midnight blue in the darkness of the tent, glittering from the flickering candlelight levitating in mid-air. He felt his slacks suddenly shrink a few sizes too small when she whispered his name, indicating to him that she wanted more. _

_He wasted not a single minute in getting to work on the ties of her brown pleather corset top, which pushed up her breasts in such a tantalizing way it made his mouth water. His nerves shivered with excitement as his nimble fingers deftly undid the ties, while the soft tender skin of her hands cupped the back of his head, encouraging him to go further. He pressed his cheek against the tops of her bouncy breasts as he undid her corset. He grinned once he reached the very last knot and drew back, his eyes locked onto her chest as he pulled the material away from her body. _

_His body burned with lust as he fascinated himself in the twin globes of her breasts, the puckered crests protruding and ready for his taking, screaming for his mouth to suckle them and tease them. They were exactly how he liked them—a little large for her frame, round and high. He snapped back to reality when he felt a pair of small hands gliding across his exposed chest from his completely unbuttoned shirt. _

_He had difficulty controlling himself as he examined the brunette beauty lying underneath him. She was so gloriously naked from head to toe; Randy felt his erection swell in pride as he'd stripped her bare and exposed everything he loved about her. His eyes traveled from her rosy porcelain doll complexion, her luscious breasts and flat, toned stomach, down to the nest of golden curls between her thighs and her shapely legs. He couldn't wait to devour her and drive her towards the pinnacle of ecstasy._

_His fingers skimmed over the large cross and rose tattoo imprinted on her right shoulder; it was the only tattoo colored in, as the skulls and rose thorns surrounding the tattoo were a neutral blue green. He turned her around and swept her wavy chocolate brown hair to one side, exposing another tattoo and her favorite one—a pair of delicate angel's wings. It wasn't colored in like the rose and the cross, but he liked that it was very simple yet so beautiful on her elegant back. He traced the lines of the wings and he felt goosebumps form on the tender skin underneath his rough palms. They were incredibly beautiful on her; never before had he met any woman who wore tattoos well. He moved his hands down to her small waist, wrapping his arms around them and pulling her in till her back met his bare chest. _

_He nuzzled the side of her neck before softly placing gentle kisses on the same spot, intoxicated by the flowery scent of her hair. He hard her sigh his name pleasurably and he growled seductively in response. _

"_Oh…Randy…" gasped the brunette beauty, leaning her head back against his chest. His hands slithered up towards her chest and began fondling her individual mounds of flesh. She moaned when he squeezed her breasts teasingly. _

"_Mmmm…baby…you taste so good…" his voice was a sultry whisper, "are you ready for me?" He brushed his fingers over her strained nipples and she arched her back so tantalizingly it sent him into overdrive. _

"_Please…" _

"_Please what?" he purred into her ear, "baby, tell me what you want." His voice sauntered throughout all the nerves in her body, which trembled as he began to kneel down and trace a line of kisses down the curve of her back. He grasped her by the hips and licked the small of her back after placing a few kisses on it as well. He playfully nipped one of the twin globes of her bottom and she let out a squeal. _

"_Do you want me?" he whispered seductively, squeezing her bottom and then standing up to massage her shoulders. He didn't wait for her to answer him and he swept her into his arms. Out of instinct, she locked her arms around his next and gazed into his eyes. He was absolutely enchanted by her beauty, his fingers itching to rip the mask off of her. _

"_I want you," she stutters softly._

"_Say it louder," he prompted her. _

"_I…want…you…" she coughed up those three magical words that caused his inner voice to howl in triumph. _

"_Good, baby, good." He carried her over to the brook and gently helped her into the water, following her afterwards after shucking his pants. Their lips locked in a passionate kiss as Randy led her over through the cascading waterfall, soaking the two of them. Randy had her pinned against the rock wall behind the torrent of water and turned her back to face the wall, trapping her between two barriers—one made of cold stone and the other of hot, tempered skin. _

_His hands traveled towards the ties of her mask and slowly undid the ribbons, dropping the mask into the water. His heart raced with excitement; he had unmasked his beautiful partner and he couldn't wait to see all of her lovely features. He stroked her softly defined jaw and slowly turned her head to face him so he could plant another kiss on her pink, pouty lips…_

The caw of a morning crow echoed throughout the entire forest, interrupting Randy from his sleep at the same time. He silently cursed under his breath, tossing his woven blanket aside and slipping on a pair of denim slacks. He grabbed his mouthwash and a shirt, stepping into his shoes to make his way over to his shower—the waterfall by the brook.

He made sure no one was there and he silently cast a Concealing Charm so no one could spy on him taking his morning shower. He was a hypocrite for thinking that, considering that he _did_ secretly watch Mylene strip, shower, and then change into her clothes that other day.

As Randy stepped underneath the cascades of the torrent, he reflected back on the graphic details of the raunchy dream he'd fantasized that early morning before sadly getting interrupted. This wasn't the first time this occurred, much to his frustration. Every night in his dreams he'd picture the explicit images of him getting more than comfortable with a brunette beauty whose face was concealed in various ways such as the mask. Why she was masked greatly intrigued him, but he was getting extremely irritated that his trail of thought would be broken just when he was about to unmask her.

He let the cold, chilly water pour down his body, which he'd enchanted to convert the motion of the water running down his skin into an increased percentage of thermal energy. His insides burned as he slowly closed his eyes to listen to the sweet melodious whisper of the seductress gasp his name passionately, exactly how he'd dreamt it the night before…

"_Oh, Randy…"_

"_Randy…Randy…Randy…"_

He needed to know who she was. He knew dreams like these didn't occur every single night, and he wanted to know why he dreamed those dreams. He mentally pictured those blue eyes of the seductress, that sultry twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes sending him into a trance. They were the most stunning shade of blue he'd ever seen in his life; never before had he seen anything so beautiful on any woman he'd envisioned.

And what made this mystery more puzzling was that he'd seen those same blue eyes on the gorgeous Mylene Akermann.

That hit him. She had a very similar twinkle and the same shade of blue in her fathomless, hypnotizing eyes. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life, now that the dark chocolate locks of her former blonde hair emphasized the glow in her blue eyes. Her pale complexion was lusciously rosy and her soft, pouty lips were a soft, kissable pink. Not to mention that delectable body he'd secretly witnessed being exposed to him that day when she was by the brook.

His thoughts wandered back to the seductress in his dreams. All he could remember were the feel of her soft skin against his lips, her soft cries and moans as he enticed her with his kisses, the curve of her waist and hips as he explored her body, the flowery scent emitting from the silky fall of her brunette hair, the tattoos engraved on her curvaceous body, and those eyes, the same blue eyes he'd seen on Mylene.

He wondered for a moment if Mylene was the beautiful fantasy he'd made love to in his dreams nearly every night. The description of the seductress seemed to have closely matched every single detail of what Mylene looked like in real life. Except for one thing, however. The realistic beauty lacked the ink engraved into her skin, marking the beautiful images the temptress in his dreams wore beautifully. Aside from curvy brunettes, Randy was also a sucker for women with tattoos, especially if she pulled off the ink well. The sultry, sexy seductress in his fantasies was the embodiment of every single sexual thought and turn-on he could ever imagine. He felt his heart burn with lust as he tried picturing the beauty in his dreams; he licked his lips with desire, wishing she could be real, and then all of his fantasies and imaginations would come true.

Randy was disappointed when he suddenly remembered Mylene didn't have any tattoos marked up on her body. He knew an ordinary Magus was unable to carve permanent tattoos onto their skin unless they were taught in the art of marking. He remembered he'd gotten the double sleeve tattoos from a friend of his, who was an expert tattoo artist. Unless Mylene possessed this skill—which Randy thought was extremely unlikely, as she was a princess and it wouldn't be suitable at all for a princess to have the skill to engrave tattoos into people's skin—it was unlikely she possessed any ink.

And that meant it was unlikely that she would be that dream angel at all.

But something inside of Randy stopped him from giving up in his search. That little voice in his head reminded him that Mylene had been the closest match to his dream girl out of all the women he'd met before. Although she was missing the tattoos, he couldn't help but find the coincidental resemblance between Mylene and his dream girl extremely close.

A sudden thought occurred to Randy's mind—could Mylene possibly be that beautiful seductress he fantasized in his nightly dreams; the dreams that made him crave for the perfect woman and true love and happiness?

He hadn't found himself this interested in any woman other than Mylene. He was fascinated by the two sides of Mylene he'd seen—sweet and innocent, and headstrong and stubborn. He hadn't any idea how Mylene was able to differ herself greatly from other princesses of royalty, let alone, other beautiful women he'd met and talked with before. Randy wished he couldn't admit it, but he was absolutely captivated by Mylene.

This only made him want her more, despite her clearly saying to his face that she disliked him. The fact that Randy had a chance of earning Mylene's forgiveness only made him more determined than ever to get to know Mylene and begin a friendship with her, hopefully more if she was willing to do so in return.

Randy was going to do whatever it took to earn Mylene's forgiveness, knowing it was the only way he could get on her good side. But what could he do to please the stubborn princess? He wasn't sure what she liked and he had absolutely no clue what he could do to make her satisfied. Though the idea of seducing her would have been quite pleasing, Randy knew the 'charming the panties off of women' thing didn't work on the headstrong, stubborn princess. He could tell from the way she shouted back at him, she was sprightly intelligent and exceptionally bright. He knew the chances of a woman of Mylene's intelligence falling for his sweet talk was slim to none. He didn't have to think through it before tossing away the idea.

He needed to apologize to her once again. But what if that wasn't enough for her? Mylene specifically told Randy that time was running out, and he needed to do something to earn her forgiveness, but she hadn't specified what would make her satisfied, leaving the task for Randy extremely difficult. He spent the rest of the night thinking through that same question and for the answer. All he knew at that very moment was that he needed to see Mylene the next morning.

And he would wait till that morning to begin his attempts to win the forgiveness of a beautiful yet stubborn princess.


	14. Truce

**Runaway**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Truce**

* * *

**Author's Note: Now this chapter is where Randy thinks of a way to prove himself to Mylene…**

* * *

As soon as he returned to camp, Randy wasted no time in summoning his tools needed to mix up the perfect plan to impress Mylene and earn her forgiveness. Knowing any girl would be impressed by such an idea, Randy knew this strategy was going to assist him in getting what he wanted.

He filled the large hole he'd carved out of a large boulder he'd brought over to his site the day before with firewood he found early that morning, snapping his fingers to set off a spark that floated into the boulder and set the wood ablaze. He walked over to his storage area hidden underneath the dead stump and retrieved a set of cutlery he'd purchased months ago from a friend working in the black market, cleaning them with a dishwashing concoction that required no water. He set them aside and then pulled out the ingredients he needed.

Randy was confident that he would earn Mylene's forgiveness by making her a meal consisting of dishes she liked. He honestly didn't know what she actually liked to eat, but knowing the type of food royalty usually consumed during dinnertime, he had to take a few guesses.

Randy admitted silently that he wasn't the type of man who'd prepare a meal for a woman, especially for a princes; he had zero experience compared to the many chefs who would've cooked for Mylene and her family of wealthy bluebloods. But he was determined to impress Mylene with his culinary skills—after all, he was tired of watching her starve herself on fruits and vegetables alone.

There was another factor that contributed to the idea of him giving Mylene a proper meal—he remembered a dream he had where he and his dream girl were sitting in the forest, enjoying a romantic candlelight dinner together and engaging in a very intimate conversation. He wasn't sure why he'd suddenly decided to take inspiration from that dream. There was a little voice in his head that told him it would be the perfect idea to fulfill his wishes of proving himself to the beautiful princess.

To speak of the dreams, since Mylene's arrival and change in appearance, a lot in Randy's mind had to do with the beauty he envisioned in his sleep. Randy longed to find that woman; she was the very embodiment of perfection. Her chocolate cascade of silky hair, her eyes of fathomless ocean blue, her skin rosy and glowing like porcelain underneath the moonlight. He longed to find her and claim her as his, for he'd dreamed of her for so long and believed she would be the one to help him find his happiness.

For nights he pictured her soft, pink lips gasp so seductively in his ear as he sucked on the tender skin of her elegant neck. When a passing breeze blew by he would close his eyes and picture her small tender hands running through his skull trimmed hair as he tasted her womanly folds and ravished her honey. Just thinking about her sparkling eyes of sapphires and feminine charm made his slacks suddenly rather uncomfortable.

Randy turned his attention back to the kitchen, noticing the vegetables had been chopped up and ready to add to the soup. Before placing the meat into the oven, he tasted the brew, and deciding it needed just a little more flavor, he added a pinch of herbs into the steaming pot, summoning the wooden spoon to continue stirring the soup as he tended to the potatoes.

Meanwhile, Mylene was creating a new one-sleeved bolero made from hide when she caught a familiar scent nearby. Getting up from her seat, she summoned the sewing needles to stop their work and decided to investigate where the smell was coming from. Her curiosities increased, as the scent got stronger when she approached Randy's camp, however she was surprised to find it empty. She rolled her eyes and scoffed, knowing Randy either decided he was too chicken to earn his forgiveness or simply placed a Concealing Charm on his camp so she couldn't see what he was up to.

Mylene was beginning to grow impatient, and at the same time, very lonely. It had been days since she informed Randy of his initiation and since then she hadn't spoken to him. Although she had Marion to speak to, the nurse still wasn't enough company for the runaway princess. Despite knowing him for almost three weeks, Mylene still hadn't gotten to know Randy yet. A part of her regretted screaming at him at the hunting incident, but now she needed to solve a way to get Randy to open up to her.

She felt a little guilty for placing that initiation on him; she had to admit feeling sorry for the poor guy. From the silence between them that hadn't broken yet, Mylene could somehow tell Randy was being put under a lot of pressure from her demand. She decided tonight would be the night where she call off the initiation and let him off the hook.

Randy smirked to himself as he watched the brunette beauty walk away from his campsite. He chuckled softly, knowing how frustrated she was at him for not speaking to her, but he reminded himself all that would change tonight. He pulled the large roast out of the oven, his mouth watering at the slightly charred crispy skin, and began adding the condiments.

* * *

Later that evening, when Mylene returned to her hideout from her bath by the brook, she found a scroll addressed to her in curly letters, with a strange green flower bud attached to it. After casting a Concealing Charm, she dropped the towel wrapped around her body and dressed back into her usual attire as she read the levitating letter:

_Dear Mylene, _

_ Meet me at my campsite when the sun peeks halfway in the yellow, pink and purple horizon. I've got something very special for you. _

_Randy. _

_P.S. This strange flower that I attached to this letter, as you would have noticed, is a rose that's still a bud, not in full bloom yet. I picked it off one of the rose bushes on the other side of the brook, and apparently it's supposed to blossom in such a pattern that not even I know about. Keep it, for I've always been curious about this rose and why so few of them fully blossom at various times of the year. _

Mylene raised an eyebrow. It'd felt as though it had been forever since she'd heard from Randy, and now he was finally attempting to reach out to her. She sighed; perhaps this 'something very special' was going to be his way of making up to her. While she was curious to see how he was going to impress her, at the same time, she felt guilty for forcing Randy to do something for her.

She untied the rose from the letter and examined it; it was the tiniest, yet the most beautiful rose bud she'd ever seen in her life. She stroked the petals huddled tightly together in the center, her skin contacting velvet softness. She smelled it and sighed; it was also the sweetest flower she'd whiffed. Setting the rose in a vase and tucking it away in her safekeeping cabinet, Mylene decided to get ready for dinner.

As told by the message, after changing into the new outfit she'd designed and created the day before, Mylene began making her way over to Randy's campsite, and that familiar scent she caught earlier that day grew stronger as she approached closer. She gasped when she saw a dinner table and seats for two, set up where the dead stump used to stand, dimly lit tea lights and a skinny vase containing a single red rose bud placed in the middle of the table.

"You actually showed up," whispered someone from behind, their deep husky voice making Mylene shudder slightly. Mylene rolled her neck and saw Randy leaning against a tree smirking at her. She couldn't help but notice how beautifully his handsome features glowed from the evening sun.

"Of course I had to show up," remarked Mylene, "I knew you were up to something from this morning, Randy, so I had to know." Mylene nearly dropped her jaw in surprise when Randy pulled out a chair for her; she hadn't expected him to be this…_gentlemanly_…at all. What made her even more shocked, however, was the very fact that he did not look as though he was forced to do it for her.

"Ummm…Randy? What is going on?" asked Mylene curiously, noticing Randy's courteous yet unusual act. She felt his hand brush against hers briefly before watching him take a seat in front of her.

"You'll see," he assured her, prompting her to open the tray cover placed over her plate.

Mylene gasped as she unveiled her dish sitting in front of her—wild fungus soup with tarragon and shaved lemon zest and bits of roasted goose skin on top. She hadn't seen anything like this for weeks and was utterly shocked at where Randy had gotten one of her favorite brew.

"Randy!" she exclaimed, the mushroom scent making her mouth water, "where did you get this?"

"I made it," Randy announced proudly, smirking at her priceless expression.

"You made…wait, what?" gasped Mylene, "how did you…"

"I believe it was a recipe that was passed down for generations in my family," said Randy.

"No way!" laughed Mylene, "this is one of my favorite soups! It's also served every Tuesday in the palace for our first course of dinner!"

"What a coincidence," Randy chuckled, playing along. He laughed softly as he watched Mylene wasting no time in slurping down the entire bowl within less than a minute. Her adorable ministrations made his heart melt.

Once Randy consumed the first course, he snapped his fingers and the bowls disappeared from the table. He tapped his plate twice and another dish appeared before him and Mylene respectively. He felt his heart swell with pride as he heard another gasp from the brunette princess.

"Creamed wild duck spread baked with a citrus infusion and rosemary salad with purple pomegranate!" squealed Mylene excitedly, "I haven't had that for nearly four years when we had that gentleman visiting the palace for a week and he was an amazing chef! I remember he cooked for our family that night and it was perhaps the best dinner I'd ever had in my life!"

_That will all change by the end of tonight, my dear,_ Randy thought smarmily, as he joined Mylene in consuming their second course of the night. He tasted the combination of tangy citrus and salty duck and was instantly hooked for more. He could tell from the way Mylene wolfed down her entire plate in a few seconds, she was desperately hungry.

"If you'd like more, you can always tap the side of your plate with the end of your fork and it'll simply reappear in whichever way you'd like," Randy advised her, to which Mylene willingly did in an instant, making him burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Mylene skeptically, when the duck spread and salad reappeared on her plate in the same fashion as before.

"I just love the way you gulp down everything in seconds while I'm trying to finish piece by piece," Randy chuckled.

"Oh stop it," giggled Mylene adorably, sending chills in every single nerve of Randy's body, "I just haven't had food this good in such a long time! I wish I could eat like this every single day! But then again, that would be like living in that damned palace all over again."

Randy chuckled again and smiled cheekily when Mylene propped her elbows and asked in the sweetest voice he'd ever heard her use, "What's next, Mr. Orton? Surprise me."

"Just one more appetizer till the main course, your Highness," he replied, snapping his fingers and the plates disappeared. He tapped the larger plate that was underneath the smaller ones three times and another dish appeared on new plates—pasta made of a ground potato, stuffed with a basil and rare magenta truffle mix and coated in a creamy heirloom tomato sauce.

"I don't think I can make it to the main course," Mylene joked.

"There's plenty more after the main course, babe," responded Randy.

"What did you just call me?" asked Mylene suspiciously.

"Nothing," Randy replied quickly, only realizing what he'd just called her. He hadn't meant it at all; it simply just slipped from his lips by accident.

The main course of the meal hadn't even been served yet, and already Randy could see Mylene was extremely satisfied. He smiled softly when he noticed she ate each envelope of stuffed pasta slowly, taking time with each bite, unlike the previous two dishes.

"I've decided that I'm going to savor your delicious cooking, Randy," Mylene piped up cutely, smiling widely at him, "after all, who knows what you've whipped up for dessert."

"You'll have to wait till after the main event, Mylene," replied Randy. He tapped their wine glasses twice to refill their drinks.

Once her plate was clear of any trace of food, Mylene continued to observe Randy finishing his pasta. Tucking a stray brunette curl behind her ear, she couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked that way, fixed on his plate and focused on finishing his course. She blushed when Randy noticed her watching him and he flashed her a dazzling smile, his twinkling ocean blue eyes making her heart melt into a puddle.

Randy was continuing to excite Mylene and leave her curious, one dish after the other. He loved every expression of amazement she showed with every course he impressed her with. This was the Mylene that he liked; the one with the beautiful smile on her lovely face when she laughed and conversed, when she became excited over the many dishes he impressed her with. He knew at this point, she was going to bed tonight with a very satisfied stomach.

"Oh my God, Randy, that was amazing!" exclaimed Mylene ecstatically, when the empty plates had been cleared to leave room for the main course, "I can hardly wait for the main course."

"Stay right there, princess, I'm going to do a little something special with our main course," said Randy, pointing his fingers towards the little kitchen he'd set up and summoned a set-up table, where he tapped the legs of the table five times, and out of thin air, a large platter appeared on top of the table.

"Roasted pheasant marinated with hawthorn berry and deviled apple sauce!" cried Mylene excitedly, bobbing in her seat, "I can't believe you actually made all this, Randy! How did you know all these dishes were my favorites?"

Randy knew it would not be appropriate to tell her that he was inspired by a dream he had a couple of nights ago, where he pictured himself dining romantically with his dream angel in a similar setting to the dinner he'd just created for Mylene. Coincidentally, in that very same dream, he was dining in the exact same spot, with the exact same food, on the exact same time of the day, with—

"Lucky guess, I suppose," said Randy, shrugging, as he commanded the carving knife to slice a few pieces of pheasant, which vanished for a few seconds and then reappeared on Mylene's plate along with the berry and apple sauce on the side.

"You've made far too many lucky guesses, Orton," laughed Mylene, "I don't think anyone has served all four of my favorite dishes in one night before, not even in the palace."

"Think of this as something very special from me, Mylene," said Randy, "I did this all for you."

"I appreciate it very much, Randy," said Mylene sweetly, grinning widely after swallowing down her first bite of pheasant, "and besides, just to make you feel better, this is the best pheasant I've had in my life; it's cooked to complete perfection, and the meat is so tender and juicy."

"Caught the little bird myself," said Randy smugly.

"I'm impressed, Orton," giggled Mylene.

Randy couldn't help but puff his chest proudly. The very fact that he'd managed to impress the stubborn princess brought a new sense of pride into him. He reveled the sight of the beautiful Mylene devouring every delicious piece of pheasant, her ocean blue eyes wide open as she stuffed a piece into her mouth and chewed happily. He chuckled to himself, for he could clearly see how much Mylene enjoyed the main course of their first proper meal together.

Mylene could feel Randy's eyes on her as she ate. She glanced up and unintentionally met his eyes; his eyes of the deepest oceans, the ones that were not unlike hers, except when she looked into them, she found herself lost in his fathomless depths.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Randy?" she teased him, snapping the tattooed rogue out of his thoughts, "aren't you going to eat that delicious main that you made for the night?"

"I wanted to see if you enjoyed it first," Randy remarked with a smirk, "besides, I needed to know if it was worth trying."

"I suggest you do before I eat it all up," joked Mylene.

"I suggest you save your stomach for dessert, princess," Randy shot back teasingly.

Both individuals couldn't have had a more enjoyable meal as they relished in the scrumptious, tender meat of the roasted pheasant. It didn't take long before it was time for dessert—vanilla and caramel custard topped with a mixed berry sauce, and rich, creamy white chocolate sauce with assorted fruits for dipping. Mylene assisted Randy in clearing the table—it didn't take more than ten seconds—before they placed their desserts on a large tray and sat next to each other on the dead stump, where they would finish their last course for the day.

"I don't think I can ever thank you enough for doing all this for me, Randy," sighed Mylene, as Randy fed her a chocolate dipped elderberry. She was sitting close to him on the dead stump, her head leaning against his chest and their hands joined together on her thigh.

"Once again, you're welcome," he said huskily, his other hand resting on Mylene's shoulder, stroking her soft chocolate brown hair.

"About that thing where I said you had to prove yourself to me in order to earn my forgiveness..." said Mylene, "I really wish I hadn't done that. I shouldn't have pressured you to do something this big for me. But Randy, I can't deny that this is my best night in the forest with you so far."

"No," protested Randy softly, "_I'm_ the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper and yelled at you when you missed the shot and made that little boar run away. In fact, I'm sorry for being such an ass to you for the past weeks. I've never had company in the forest before and I've had to get used to someone else joining me in my hideout. I feel guilty for having been a bitch and I would like nothing more than to make it up to you and put everything behind us. Will you forgive me, Mylene?"

"You've impressed me, Randy," admitted Mylene, knowing how truly sincere Randy sounded in his heartfelt apology, "I never knew you wanted my forgiveness so badly, you go and make me the best meal that I've had in my life, and I am very thankful for what you did for me tonight. I know how much you really want to change, and so I will forgive you and put that incident in the past."

* * *

Mylene returned back to her camp with a satisfied stomach and a different perspective of Randy. She was amazed at how far Randy had gotten to get the pardon that he wanted from her. The very fact that he actually _cooked_ _dinner_ for her showed how much he wanted to change. Mylene reflected back on the meal they shared, realizing how much fun she actually had dining with Randy.

The same couldn't have been said for Randy. For the first time, he actually experienced _fun_. He hadn't felt himself having so much fun with another individual like him before. For the first time, he felt relaxed, comfortable, and free—free to be himself as he liked without fearing criticism or disapproval. From the way he and Mylene interacted with each other, Randy felt as though he and Mylene had shared a connection together—a connection that he knew would bring them closer gradually over time.

During the dinner, Randy felt as though he'd experienced the exact same setting before, but somewhere in another world. Something in the back of his mind made him wonder if she could be _the one_.

_She can't be_, Randy denied silently, _if she were the one, she would be in my arms and we'd be in love. _

Shaking his thoughts out of the mystery dream girl, Randy focused back on Mylene, deciding to invite her over to stay in the haven of his campsite, rather than letting her sleep alone and exposed to the dangerous beasts of the forests. He transported himself to Mylene's camp, offering her to move into the tent with him, to which she accepted, and from that night on, Mylene never returned to the tree she once slept in front of.

Blinking open an eye before sleeping in the confines of Randy's expansive tent, Mylene peered at the rose sitting on the carved nightstand next to her and gasped in a whisper. The green sepals of the rose had fallen apart, revealing the tiniest, yet the reddest rose bud she'd ever seen in her life, the crimson color glowing in the darkness of night. Mylene smiled at its beauty, yet she was so curious about the little rose; she knew normal roses didn't take a few hours to split its sepals apart. As she drifted off into sleep, she still hadn't the slightest clue on what the blooming process that peculiar little rose depended on, but all she knew was that she and Randy were going to be very close friends.


	15. Her Side of the Story

**Runaway**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Her Side of the Story**

* * *

**Author's Note: **_I hope y'all are enjoying this story so far; the situation between Randy and Mylene will go smoother from now on, I promise :)_

* * *

Blinking his eyes open, Randy forced himself to sit up, reluctantly shoving aside the silky sheets. Randy wasn't usually this cranky in the mornings, but it had been days since he'd slept this well; it felt as though he'd only gotten two minutes of sleep the previous night.

He turned his head and smiled when something noticeably different caught his eye—Mylene collapsed onto the spare bed he'd summoned for her when he invited her to stay in his tent, asleep on her side and her lithe body rising up and down as she slept. Randy gazed at her in amazement; he thought she resembled a sleeping goddess sent down from the heavens, lying so peacefully between the sheets, her bedhead of chestnut resting against the soft pillows.

For the first time, Randy felt as though the mood of his little tent had changed since inviting the brunette beauty to stay with him. He initially was rather cranky when he first woke up, but when his eyes fell on the sleeping goddess just a few feet away on the spare bed, all the negative emotions he felt simply washed away. For the first time, Randy actually felt peace in the confines of his campsite in the forest.

"Wake up princess, time to get up," Randy cooed into the sleeping brunette's ear, brushing a stray hair away from her eyes as he watched her stir in her sleep. She mewled softly like a gentle kitten, her innocence making his chest ache.

"I'll make breakfast," he whispered temptingly into her ear, his lips brushing against her porcelain skin, "and I think I know exactly what you'd like."

Randy jumped in surprise when Mylene suddenly burst into giggles and flipped onto her back, fluttering her dark eyelashes and opening her ocean blue eyes.

"And how do you know what I'd like for breakfast, Randy?" giggled the brunette princess adorably.

Randy took in her appearance. Even with sleepy eyes and a bedhead of chocolate curls, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world in his eyes. "I only said that to try and wake you up," he admitted.

"Well I'm going to go back to sleep then," Mylene joked, collapsing back onto the plush mattress of the bed. Her tense muscles relaxed as her back hit the softness of the bouncy mattress. It had been forever since she'd slept on a proper bed and she couldn't have been more thankful towards Randy for offering her to stay with him.

"Nuh-uh, princess, you're not spending the entire day in that bed," protested Randy teasingly.

"And why not?" asked Mylene with a pout. Randy chuckled, thinking how adorable she looked that way, sticking out her dewy pink bottom lip while giving him that puppy-dog face.

"Because I'd like you to tell me a little more about yourself," Randy answered, sitting by bedside, "we've been hanging out for three weeks and we don't know very much about each other. So I say, for today, we take the time to get to know each other."

Mylene suddenly realized Randy wasn't wearing a shirt, making her blush furiously. She couldn't help but dart her eyes along his muscled physique, staring in fascination at the network of tattooed sleeves adorning his massive biceps. Well-built with a toned six-pack, Mylene's mouth watered and her heart thundered, for this very creation carved from stone was sitting just inches away from her, giving her the sexy smirk that could make her panties drop in a heartbeat.

She felt a sudden jolt of nostalgia when she noticed the rose marked into his left forearm; it was the only tattoo on his arms inked in color, the bright crimson stood out amongst the green and blue-grays. She honestly had never noticed that tattoo on Randy before, but she swore she'd seen that very image on the exact same spot somewhere else, or rather, on _someone_ else.

"Why don't I get cleaned up first, and then we can talk," suggested Mylene, sliding out of bed and walking over to the cabinet to fetch her change of clothes. Randy couldn't help but dart his eyes towards Mylene's backside when she bent over to retrieve her clothes. It reminded him of a seductive position he once imagined his dream mistress using in one of his naughty fantasies. From what he could remember, she had the very same physique, the very same rotund twin globes of her bottom sticking out so seductively as he willingly took her as his. He stared at Mylene's svelte figure in awe, knowing how familiar it looked to him for a long time.

Mylene stood up and noticed Randy was staring at her in a peculiar fashion. "Why are you looking at me that way, Randy?" she asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"I was looking at your hair," Randy lied, "I just like it a lot more than the blonde fairytale hair you used to have. Suits you better."

"Thank you," replied Mylene, combing her fingers through her soft brunette waves, "I've always wanted my hair to be this way. I hated my blonde hair because I always thought I looked like a typical fairytale princess."

"I don't think you ever looked like a typical fairytale princess," muttered Randy under his breath.

"What did you say?" Mylene asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Randy replied quickly, though Mylene caught the slight stain of blush in his cheeks. She shook it off and left to go get cleaned up and changed.

Randy watched the alluring sway of her hips as she exited the tent. Already, the two sides of her captivated him: the sweet demeanor she usually was, and the other was a vivacious vixen whose seductive snipes and in-your-face attitude turned him on greatly. He was eager to know the beautiful little creature more; she had intrigued him from the beginning and he wanted more about her.

The very image of the tattooed rogue and his muscles carved from stone burned in Mylene's memory as she stripped off her nightgown and stepped underneath the showers of the raging waterfall. She hadn't felt herself this attracted to any man before getting to know his interests. But in Randy's case, she just couldn't help herself.

She was the most perfect man her eyes had set on. It was as though he was a fallen angel delivered to her from the heavens above. It was as though he'd come to life from her dreams.

Her dreams…

Her dreams? How could he have been brought to life from her dreams, where everything in a dream was unreal? Sure, she'd dreamed of the very same man, the very same tattooed man sharing a romantic dinner with her, undressing her with his steely blue eyes, making love to her as the sun set into the wispy clouds of purple and pink…

The disturbing question remained on Mylene's mind: How could those dreams simply be dreams if they all involved the same man?

Mylene wished she knew who that mystery dream man was. But alas, that sketch she drew of him suddenly disappeared out of nowhere. She remembered being so frustrated upon realizing the very clue to her mystery dream man was gone forever, and since she'd lost her sketchpad in the midst of the Terrhykion attack, she had no other method in piecing together his image.

"_Just have faith, my dear_," Mylene recalled Marion advising her from their last conversation through the pendant, "_I know you will find that man and you'll find true love in him one day. Somehow, I have a feeling you've already found him._"

_Already found him_? Mylene inquired silently, _how could I have already found him if I don't even remember who he is and what he looks like?_

The only man Mylene could think of as a potential candidate was Randy, but she still wasn't convinced he was the one.

When Mylene returned back to campsite, although she was slightly disappointed to find that Randy had put his shirt back on, she was also surprised when Randy personally handed her what looked like the type of breakfast she would eat back in the palace.

"I assume you made this for me?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Nope, I just happened to have extras," joked Randy, grabbing his own plate and taking a seat next to Mylene, "why don't you begin first with your life story, princess? How you came to be and how you came here."

"Do I need to give out every single detail?" asked Mylene cheekily.

"I will if you do," Randy remarked back. Mylene flashed a heartwarming smile that made Randy's heart melt.

"Alright, I shall begin," giggled Mylene. She scooted closer next to Randy and as though it had become a habit, he didn't mind her presence the slightest bit.

"I was born a few days later than expected in the public hospital located just outside the main downtown area of Secretum," began Mylene, "that, I would have to say, up till now, was the only time I had ever been outside of the palace. In fact, I was actually the first female monarch to be born outside the palace walls. Unfortunately, after my birth I hadn't seen anything else of the outside world."

"You mean you've literally been stuck in the same place for how long?" asked Randy.

"I'm twenty-three this year," admitted Mylene humbly.

"Stuck in that damn palace for _twenty-three years_?" exclaimed Randy, "must have been hard on you."

"Well it didn't take me long to realize how boring it was to be cooped up in the same old place for my whole life," said Mylene.

"How come you didn't step into the outside world once?" inquired Randy, shocked at the fact that Mylene had been trapped within the walls of monarchy for her whole life.

"Because of my father, I mean, the King of Secretum," Mylene quickly corrected herself, for she could no longer call the monarch her father. Randy raised an eyebrow, sensing her strong dislike towards the great ruler of Secretum, "He believes that the outside world is full of dangerous Magi that could potentially use me to blackmail him into abandoning the throne and handing rule of the kingdom over to the Magi. There's been a history of Magi persecution in my family."

"And to think his own daughter is a Magus herself," murmured Randy.

"Fortunately, he hasn't the slightest clue," added Mylene, "it's been difficult trying to hide it from the medieval ruler of Secretum. There was once where I nearly blew my cover when I was about seventeen, when I tried straightening my hair, but ended up accidentally setting one of my ends on fire. Luckily, I managed to escape with an excuse that I burnt it while lighting one of my scented candles."

"Close call," laughed Randy. His expression suddenly turned serious, "So tell me more about the Magi persecution in Secretum."

Mylene's face darkened as well. "It's been going on for centuries, since my great, great—oh I honestly don't care how many greats—ancestors took rule over Secretum. According to one of my homeschool professors, a community of Magi once ruled Secretum. Unfortunately, there was a group of non-Magi who plotted the extermination of the Magi government, and apparently, the creators of this anti-Magi movement comprised of my ancestors. They eventually overturned the Magi government, took over with a monarch in place, and that was how the anti-Magi movement began."

"For centuries, in Secretum, the Magi have been hunted, wanted, used as scapegoats for crimes, tortured, terrorized, and even in the past they were executed in the streets," continued Mylene, "to this day, there are very few Magi living within Secretum and its allied nations, for the persecution has spread over the years. The ones who don't get burned at the stake change their identities and live in secret, for they, like me, live in fear of getting caught and tortured by the dreaded guards surrounding the city."

"How do you live for twenty-three years without getting caught?" asked Randy. He was beginning to feel more and more sorry for the runaway princess with every word she spoke.

"Most of the time it's not easy," answered Mylene, "however, over the years, I've developed the expertise of concealing my secret, making it impossible for the king to detect my powers."

"Did you develop your skills all by yourself?"

"Not always. I've had many professors who are Magi living in secret, and there were a few who actually helped me develop my powers. They did this in secret, of course. Little did the king realize, the majority of the best professors he hired to provide my education are some of the greatest Magi to ever live."

"Must have been where you've gotten your brains," Randy complimented her.

"Why thank you," replied Mylene, "unfortunately, in the most recent weeks before I fled the palace, I feared for my life."

"Why?"

"A fiancé whom my father betrothed to me without asking," muttered Mylene, her nostrils flaring as she remembered Lord Batista.

"And who is this fiancé?" inquired Randy.

"Lord David Batista, a self-proclaimed legendary Magi hunter," Mylene had difficulty sputtering the words from her lips, as though she was forced to drink poison, "perhaps the most annoying, pompous, arrogant _dickhead_ I've had to deal with in my life!" She tossed her breakfast plate aside and zapped it, setting it on fire.

"Whoa there, princess, chill," said Randy casually, casting a charm to put out the fire and then changing it back to normal and handing it back to Mylene, "I assume you've got a problem with him."

"Oh you have no idea," said Mylene, seething, "the reason why the king set me up with him is because he thinks I'm long overdue for marriage and should marry a wealthy lord in order to ascend to the throne. But I should tell you that was the worst thing that could have possibly happened to me. The man is just _terrible_. I told you he's a Magi hunter, didn't I?"

"I believe you did," confirmed Randy.

"That meant my life was at stake," continued Mylene, "I was afraid to do any magic whenever he came to visit—which was rather often by the way—because Magi hunters have a skill which they use to detect Magi activity, and if Batista knew I was a Magus, he would either kill me or hand me over to the authorities. And the punishment for pretending to be a non-Magus is the worst torture anyone can think of. I could have been whipped, or suffocated, or even sexually assaulted since I'm a woman. My punishment would have been worse since I'm the daughter of a monarch."

Randy felt his heart rip in two. He could hardly believe the beautiful Mylene had lived through such misery throughout her whole life. To think that the princess of Secretum had never seen the city life, was a Magus living in fear, and once engaged to an infamous Magi hunter. That didn't sound like the luxurious life of a blueblood at all.

"How did you make it out of the palace?" inquired Randy, "I heard security tightened with that force field that repels magic."

"I was lucky enough to escape the palace when it was conveniently deactivated," admitted Mylene, "it was long hours after my engagement party ended, and the guards were so drunk they forgot the shield was offline. The force field is usually switched off whenever the king hosts parties."

"How long did you want to run away and what made you decide to run away?"

"I've wanted to get out of the palace for years, and I think it's quite obvious what made me decide to run away," answered Mylene, "but there's more to the miserable life I lived in the palace."

"I wanted to be free, to feel like I could be me, to feel like I could be someone else besides the princess of Secretum and, to feel like I can break out of my own shell and be free to live the life that the everyday people live," Mylene's voice was prominent and clear. She turned to Randy and her heart skipped a beat when she noticed a twinkle in his ocean blue eyes. "I wanted to see the world, to explore the world outside, and to eventually find the one I love in the world outside."

"Do you know who the one you love is?" Randy's voice trembled, yet it had suddenly turned husky and laced with lust. Mylene shuddered as he traced his fingers along her jaw and down her neck.

"I don't know," whispered Mylene softly, "but one day I hope to find him, because never in my life had I ever felt truly loved by another."


	16. His Side of the Story

**Runaway**

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**Chapter 16: His Side of the Story**

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**Author's Note: I only own everything that is brought to life from my head, and that does not include Randy Orton, most unfortunately. However, I do own his rogue hunter idea and the beautiful Mylene. This chapter will be a continuation from the previous chapter, and this time, after Mylene finishes telling her story, it'll be Randy's turn. Also, I'm running a bit short on reviews...keep it up, Fanfictioners!**

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Randy felt a pang of guilt, nearly bringing him on the verge of tears. Mylene's story absolutely wrenched his heart and there was nothing more he could expect from her. When he first encountered her, he thought of her as the spoilt, pompous blueblood of the highest class. He believed she was simply a princess who'd gotten lost in the woods when she fell out of her carriage or something. He initially thought of her as the single type of person he would resent the most, the type that lived in luxury with everything they wanted handed to them on a golden platter.

But at that very moment, he realized he was entirely wrong to begin with. He hadn't the slightest clue who she was, and now, he truly knew what she had been through. Although she lived the first class life every woman in royalty had, she certainly didn't feel like a blueblood. She had been a slave to her monarch father's iron fist, forced to follow every order regardless of her protests. Instead of living the perfect life, she lived under fear, fear of her life at stake.

No one could imagine the woman next in line to the throne a Magus living with her life on the line due to her scheduled marriage to one of the most legendary Magi hunters in Secretum. Every girl and woman in Secretum would envy the beautiful princess Mylene Akermann, who lived the life of luxury and had the beauty every man wanted. But Randy knew if he were Mylene, he would think the opposite.

"It's really not so bad being away from the palace, you know," Mylene broke the silence, "I mean, I'm not exactly alone in the forest."

"Takes a while to get used to having me being your only company, princess," Randy added.

"Oh no, I've gotten used to you rather quickly," giggled Mylene, "besides, you are the only person I see aside from Marion through my communicator."

"Marion?" inquired Randy curiously.

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you about Marion," Mylene's expressions suddenly changed and she looked more cheerful than sullen, "she's my nursemaid since I was an infant, and she's absolutely wonderful. She fixes my hair, cleans my room and is assigned to tend to my needs, but she's been a mother to me, much more than my real mother anyway. When I was little, she would read me bedtime stories and tuck me goodnight. Whenever I was sick, she'd offer to bring my meals up and there was even once when I'd torn a muscle and she fed me. She and the other palace servants would keep me company, since it does get boring after entertaining myself for a while. When I need someone to listen to my problems and comfort me I would turn to her and ask for her advice. Although I was happy to leave the palace, parting from her was perhaps the most heartbreaking sacrifice I had to make. I still keep in touch with her, though, through this pendant I bewitched into a communicator." Mylene showed Randy the pendant she wore around her neck.

"Through this, she keeps me up to date at what's been going on in the palace, and what's been happening in Secretum," explained Mylene, "it only opens when I activate it, and when Marion calls."

"So I guess there is at least one thing you miss about the palace, besides the good food," said Randy.

"I do miss Marion," confessed Mylene, "but she wants the best for me like any mother would for their daughters, so she gave me her blessing and bid me farewell. I do pray that I'll see her again in person; she's been my closest friend and she will always be my mother."

"What about your real mother?" Randy was intrigued at Mylene's birth mother not being mentioned at all.

"Oh, you mean the Queen?" clarified Mylene, "she is my biological mother, but I honestly never saw her as a mother. Marion claims she cares about me, but she doesn't appear to at all. Most of the time, she's stuck by the King's side, keeping quiet until she's ordered to speak. I've always wondered if she even had a personality of her own, for she does nothing but ask me to pay attention to the King when he needs to speak to me."

"What about when the King's not around?" Already Randy didn't think highly of the King, but from what he'd heard from Mylene, he began to dislike the arrogant monarch more and more.

"She doesn't bother to talk to me at all," admitted Mylene, "it was Marion who really took care of me, not my so-called 'parents'. The only time I would really spend with them is either at the dining table or whenever the king decides to snap at me for something I supposedly did wrong."

_That definitely doesn't sound like the life of a princess,_ thought Randy, _I know my own parents would never mistreat me like the way Mylene described hers._

"Why was your father always angry at you?" asked Randy.

"Don't you dare call that bastard of a man my father," spat Mylene nastily, "from everything he's done to me, there's no meaning to calling him a parental figure."

From how Mylene viewed her parents, Randy completely understood why she ran away from the palace to find the one she loved—because she never got love from the parents that raised her.

"The King doesn't matter to me anymore, though," said Mylene, "because now I'm finally free from him and free to do what I want, such as dyeing my hair brown and wearing britches."

Randy's attention turned to the soft chocolate brown curls flowing down Mylene's chest. He was amazed at how a simple change could transform one's appearance so drastically; after all, he was a sucker for beautiful brunettes.

He definitely didn't mind her wearing shorts or britches either; the shorts she wore today fell to her mid-thigh and showed off her shapely legs. In fact, he hadn't seen her wear skirts once since they first met weeks ago. His mind strayed over to what could be underneath the sexy clothes she wore.

"Now that's my story," Mylene interrupted Randy's thoughts. She peered up and smiled at him sweetly, "Would you like to tell me yours?"

Randy just couldn't resist Mylene's sweet face grinning up at him. He thought the look he gave her was absolutely adorable. He loved the way her dark, curled eyelashes battered at him and her robin's egg blue eyes twinkled in the sunlight. He wanted to marvel in her beauty, swoop her into his arms, and claim her as his—she was just too attractive for him to resist.

"I will, as soon as I figure out how to top your story," Randy joked as Mylene chuckled softly in response. She scooted in closer and he ruffled her hair playfully. He was amazed at how comfortable she'd become next to him so quickly.

"You won't have to, anyway," giggled Mylene. Now this was the sweet, bubbly Mylene Randy liked, not the miserable one she spoke of when talking about her previous life in the palace.

"Unlike you, princess, I was obviously not born to the most powerful couple of Secretum," Randy began with a slight joke, "I lived a normal life like most people do, born and raised in the little village of Caelum with my family."

"Caelum?" Mylene inquired curiously, "I've heard of it. It's a town that has no fixed location, migrating itself and its residents every few years, once known to be a place of sanctuary and paradise for a large community of Magi. It was destroyed by a fire…"

"Started from an army of soldiers sent by the King of Secretum, who at that time, was your grandfather," interrupted Randy, "according to one of our spies, the knight leading the pack was a Magus and detected Caelum's presence. Only a Magi can locate Caelum. It was absolutely shocking, for none of the King's soldiers were Magi. That knight was extremely powerful, destroying the entire town with his bare hands, while his soldiers killed nearly every single inhabitant of Caelum. My father dueled with the knight himself, nearly defeating him, but when one of the soldiers taunted him with the corpses of my brother and sister, he sacrificed his own life to join them in the afterlife."

"Oh my God," whispered Mylene, stricken.

"I was just eleven when my mother and I managed to flee the scene along with several others, but the soldiers chased after the escapees of the attack," continued Randy, "we would spend nights with people who were willing to house Magi refugees, and many times those people ended up dying for us. For three years, we lived in peace, changing our identities and living with a nice old couple in the outskirts of Hollowbrook, the closest town to the Forbidden Forests, in a residence hall that housed Magi living in secret."

"How did you end up in the forest?" asked Mylene.

"When I was fourteen, someone tipped us off and the next thing I saw from outside my window, a patrol of Secretum royal soldiers storming towards the residence, killing everyone in sight. They set fire to the building, but my mother and I managed to escape the building. Unfortunately we had a close encounter with the soldiers waiting outside. I managed to escape after killing a few soldiers that tried cornering me and injuring the knight leading the patrol, but my mother…"

"What about her?" asked Mylene softly, sensing a great disturbance in the tattooed rogue.

Randy was silent momentarily before continuing, "She didn't make it. She tried escaping with the Smoke Charm, but the same knight somehow managed to catch her and killed her. According to my friend Thylon, who also managed to escape, the knight raped her before he slit her throat."

"I thought my story was terrible," Mylene whispered, feeling extremely guilty.

"No," protested Randy, "I'm the one who should feel sorry for you, because unlike my story, your parents don't sound very lovable."

"Go on with your story," insisted Mylene, "so have you lived in the forest since escaping the soldiers?"

"Not exactly," said Randy, "sometimes I visit Magi friends who have hideouts hidden in various parts of the forest and room with them. It's not as though I spend every day of the year in the same place with nothing to do."

"Then how do you spend your time here in the forest?" inquired Mylene.

"Since I spend most of my time fending for my survival, usually I'd go hunting or fishing for food, fix up some of my stuff, and when I have the time, just enjoy and explore nature around me," answered Randy, "if you think about it, climbing trees, swimming in the brook, exploring new places and looking for new discoveries in the forest is quite time-consuming."

"That sounds much more exciting than what I used to do back in the palace," said Mylene, "perhaps the most time-consuming activity I had to do was either sketch or play my guitar. Most of the time I'm stuck doing pointless princess lessons."

"What did they make you do during those 'princess lessons'?" asked Randy, trying to hold back a laugh.

"They'd make me follow these stupid table manners, wear nothing but frilly dresses that looked ridiculous on me, learn the boring old ball dance that every rising monarch has to know…"

"Perhaps you could teach me how to prance around in the ballroom," joked Randy.

"It's really terrible, if you ask me," said Mylene, "you basically float around the ballroom like you're drunk or something, with strangers that are three times your age and pompously full of themselves."

"From the sound of it, you must have really hated palace life," laughed Randy, squeezing Mylene's palm playfully, "I can tell it was a relief to finally get out of there and have your own fun."

"Well there are the ups and downs of living in the wilderness," admitted Mylene, "for instance, I do miss Marion and the fluffy bed I used to sleep in every night, but then again I can communicate with her through my pendant and bewitch the bed into becoming just as fluffy and comfortable as my old one. And then there's my favorite dishes that are served in the palace, but that's not a problem at all, not just because of that amazing dinner you cooked me last night; I just can't stop thanking you for that."

"You're most welcome," chuckled Randy lowly. He really didn't mind her gratitude towards him; after all, he'd boosted with a surge of pride since impressing her with the five-course dinner—including dessert—he'd somehow created perfectly to suit her palatable taste.

"So what is your daily routine after breakfast, Randy?" Mylene hoped Randy would take her to do the things he did in his everyday life. The way his eyes shone with brilliance when he described his daily activities, she was more than eager to try them out.

"Usually I would begin the day with an intense morning workout before breakfast, but I guess we'll have to improvise for today," said Randy, putting away the empty plates and cutlery after cleaning them up with a simple unspoken enchantment.

"What do you mean 'we'?" asked Mylene playfully.

"I can't let you grow restless without the lack of exercise, princess," chuckled Randy, getting up and pulling Mylene with him, "after all, the forest is the perfect place for an obstacle course."

Mylene gulped nervously. She definitely wasn't in fine shape like Randy was, but she wasn't unfit either. She remembered the meditation and yoga exercises she'd been forced to do nearly every morning before breakfast, and according to a trainer of hers, whose husband was in the royal army, obstacle courses were extremely intense.

It didn't take very long before Mylene found herself scrambling towards the brook for a drink of water, just after one round of the extremely intense obstacle course involving jumping over logs, climbing up trees, skipping over stone paths along the river upstream, and sprinting across the forest floor blanketed with fallen leaves. She was so sweaty that she wanted to strip her body of all the clothes she wore at the moment and take a dive into the brook. But knowing Randy was behind her and scrutinizing her every motion, it wasn't the perfect idea at the moment.

Randy was surprised how fatigued Mylene had gotten so quickly. From what he saw underneath those clothes while spying on her by the brook that day, he thought she was in quite fine shape—her stomach was flat and her thighs were firm, not to mention perfectly ample breasts and a great behind. He hadn't expected her to chicken out of the obstacle course he'd improvised to suit the fitness level he guessed she had. Hell, he was even amazed that she made it through the first lap.

"Tired?" chuckled Randy, taking a seat next to a panting, sweaty Mylene. Watching her hair slicked away from her sweat-soaked forehead and her breasts heaving heavily as she panted, he was suddenly reminded of a dream he had just three nights ago. He vaguely remembered spooning a naked, tattooed brunette beauty in his arms, just after reaching his climax. Both of them were soaked with sweat and out of breath, one arm was wrapped around her slim waist while the other hand cupped one of her breasts…

**SPLASH!**

Randy cried out in surprise when he felt the chilly water from the brook splash into his face all of a sudden, quickly sending his wandering thoughts crashing back down to reality. He blinked his eyes open to watch Mylene howling with laughter. He smirked naughtily, realizing she actually had the nerve to splash his face with water while he was dazed in his daydream.

"Hello? Forbidden Forest to Randy!" giggled Mylene.

"Yes, I'm still alive," Randy pretended not to be amused, though he strained to hold back a smile listening to Mylene's soft, melodious laugh, "what's so funny?"

"I just can't stop laughing," coughed Mylene, "especially from the look on your face when you just spaced out like that!"

"You, my dear, are going to pay for that," growled Randy, capturing Mylene in his arms and tickling her, causing the ache in Mylene's stomach to grow as she chortled, choking on her breath occasionally.

For the first time, Randy realized how much he enjoyed Mylene's company. He loved watching her like this, her rosy cheeks glowing a brilliant pink as he played with her so friskily. Never before had he ever known it was possible to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman who initially seemed so different from him, but turned out to be so similar in several ways. As the pair spent the rest of the day together, swimming in the brook and sharing funny stories, Randy grew more and more attached to the lovely brunette.

Anything different couldn't be said for Mylene. Never in her life had she enjoyed the company of another man in such a short period of time. She hadn't remembered a single descent looking male who actually had something in common with her. She grew more and more fascinated with Randy and the life he lived in the forest, and from their day of nothing but bonding their newly blossomed friendship, she knew she wasn't going anywhere. If it were possible, she could stay in the forest with Randy for the rest of her life.


	17. Sleepless Night

**Runaway**

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**Chapter 17: Sleepless Night**

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**Author's Note: I only own all original characters and terms from this alternate universe. Sadly I do not own Randy Orton. After all, if I did, anyway, why the heck would I waste my time writing this instead of actually talking to him?**

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That night, Mylene couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, and despite bewitching her mattress to become more comfortable, she was still glaring jealously at Randy, who was sound asleep peacefully just a few feet away. At first she considered waking Randy up, but she flopped back onto the bed, knowing it was not the best idea and she wasn't going to deal with a grumpy Randy again.

Turning her body sideways, Mylene rested her head against her pillow of chocolate brown hair, reflecting on what had happened in the recent week. She recalled just six days ago when she'd decided to show Randy a new outfit she'd made herself—an outfit that was rather skimpy yet comfortable in her skin. When she noticed Randy's blue eyes poring over the pale blue top with a brown harness, lilac ruffled tulle mini-skirt and thigh-high bejeweled gladiator style sandals, she not only felt the blush in her cheeks but something else burning inside of her.

The same tingly feeling occurred within her again a day later, when she had forgotten to bring her change of clothes to the brook to change in after her daily shower, and was forced to walk back to camp in nothing but a towel. Just as she was about to walk into the tent, she literally ran into Randy, who instantly noticed her scantily clad figure, and it was that moment when she felt that same something.

Mylene swore the sexual tension between them was increasing by the day; with each conversation they shared, either Randy or she (unintentionally) would slip in an innuendo here and there, and silence would fill the entire forest with the exception of wildlife in the distance.

And scarily enough, she had felt this tension not since she'd met Randy. She felt it long before she met Randy.

She felt it in her dreams.

She felt it in every single one of those dreams, the dreams she envisioned herself and her mystery lover in, engaging in some sort of romantic or intimate activity together, the same dreams that were created because she wanted to feel loved by that certain someone. Every time she woke up from those dreams, she would wonder if that mystery lover was real, and whether he was dreaming the same dream at the same time. She stared at the rose, noticing how it had swelled twice its size, though its petals had not fully bloomed yet.

Quietly, Mylene slipped out of the tent and crept outside, casting some extra protection charms around the camp before creating a bonfire. She bewitched her pouch to appear in her hands and pulled out a blanket she knitted just yesterday to cover herself up, for she wore nothing but a pale blue spaghetti-strapped nightie that fell to her mid-thigh. Hugging her knees to her chest, she stared into the fire, reflecting back on the period of time she'd spent with Randy so far. It had been three weeks since her and Randy's first encounter in the forest, and despite an initial rocky start, they have since gotten along well and became close as friends.

Mylene hadn't realized in her life how it was possible to meet someone so much like her in a world of prejudice and discrimination. For the twenty-three years before finally being free from the restraints of palace life, despite being surrounded by friendly palace servants who tended to her every whim, Mylene had longed for someone whom she could bond with on a personal connection. Not even her parents were people whom she could rely on for psychological advice. The King was cold, heartless, and preoccupied with his work, while her mother simply followed her husband around and barely talked at all. Though Marion was very much like a mother to her, Mylene sometimes felt lost under her guidance.

Then came Randy, and all of a sudden, Mylene oddly felt much happier than she'd ever felt in her entire life.

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Meanwhile, Randy had been struggling to pass out as well. Despite having spent an entire day with Mylene trekking around the forest and teaching her free-running, he was surprised to find that he wasn't in the least bit tempted to fall asleep in the fluffy comforts of his bed. He had been lying there with his hands rested behind his head, when he suddenly heard shifting and footsteps coming from where Mylene was sleeping, or so he thought she was sleeping. When his ice blue eyes, born with Magus night vision, pore over Mylene's bed, he sensed she was not where she should have been a while ago.

Raising an eyebrow, Randy voicelessly cast a charm that revealed Mylene's footsteps, revealing green, glow-in-the-dark footprints that led to outside the tent and towards the campfire, where he found her beautiful, svelte figure sitting in a crouched position on a log facing the blazing bonfire. Using his night vision, Randy reveled in the princess's beauty. From the way her eyes were glossy and moon-like, he could sense a disturbance clouding her thoughts. He hadn't the slightest clue why he could only sense her emotions and no one else's, but he was determined to find out what kept her up at the witching hour.

He accidentally stepped on a stray branch, the snap of the springy twig instantly alerting Mylene's attention away from the bonfire and glancing up to find herself locking eyes with the very same man she had just been thinking about before her thoughts were interrupted.

Randy's heart fluttered as he gazed into Mylene's cloudy blue eyes, a shade of blue that could have well matched his own. For what felt like the longest time, they stared at each other as though they had been frozen in time, their hearts beating vigorously in unison as though they could hear each other's. Mylene nervously fluttered her dark eyelashes as Randy took in all of her, not a single word escaping his lips. It was as though she was the only thing he could see at that very moment.

"What are you doing out here, princess?" Randy inquired, breaking the silence between them.

"I…I couldn't sleep," mumbled Mylene, surprised at how difficult she found it to speak to Randy at that very moment. She battered her eyelids again, a habit that Randy was beginning to find a major turn-on.

"Ah, something on your mind?" inquired Randy, walking over to her side and taking a seat next to her on the log. Throughout the whole time, their eye contact had not been broken once.

"Maybe it was the hike that we took to the Protean Mountains that's keeping me awake. I'm still feeling chilly from climbing up the slopes," laughed Mylene softly. Earlier that day, using a special one-day transport medallion (**Author's Note: To all you Harry Potter fans, it's like this story's version of a Portkey**), Randy and Mylene had traveled to the forest around the mountains, where they got quite a workout by exploring the area and the snow-capped mountains overlooking the foreign city of Sabathia.

"Then why so skimpily dressed?" Randy pointed out the blue nightie she was wearing, which barely covered her small 5'5'' frame. He chuckled as Mylene fell silent and blushed. He took one of her diminutive hands between his large palms and rubbed them, while she shuddered at his touch, wondering what it would be like if his hands had been somewhere else.

"I have a feeling it has nothing to do with the cold, princess," he whispered huskily, taking a lock of her dark chocolate curls and twirling it between his fingers.

It was at that moment where it could've been the perfect opportunity for either one of them to capture each other's lips in a kiss, something that would've been expected out of a Shakespeare-esque romance, but just as Randy's lips were inches away from Mylene's, she turned her head away nervously and he found himself burying his nose in her lavender scented hair. It was a scent that instantly had Randy addicted, though he could not show this to Mylene. He feared it would ruin the friendly relationship that had blossomed between them in the recent weeks.

"I…I'm sorry Mylene…I just…" stuttered Randy to a rather surprised Mylene, who blushed once again and insisted it was all right.

"It's okay," said Mylene softly, touching his cheek, "I actually wanted to ask what was keeping you up at his hour?"

"Because you woke me up," replied Randy cheekily. Mylene let out a soft giggle and snuggled up against Randy's side. He wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders, his fingers gliding across her porcelain skin. The rogue and the runaway princess spent the rest of the early morning in silence, watching the flames of the bonfire blazing before their very eyes, until a soft yawn escaped from Mylene and the two fell asleep in each other's arms.


	18. It Hit Him

**Runaway**

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**Chapter 18: It Hit Him**

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**Author's Note: This should be quite a long chapter compared to the others. I hope y'all enjoy this one!**

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Randy woke up that late morning, a habit that far contrasted his usual routine. Normally he was up at dawn, taking laps around the forest, practicing his magic on stray boulders and dead logs, or visiting the hidden Magi black market where he purchased his everyday items. That day, however, he was content with where he was at that very moment, sitting on a log before the burnt pile of charcoal where last night's bonfire once blazed, with a thatch of dark chocolate curls resting on his lap.

Running his fingers through her soft, silky waves, Randy watched the steady rise and fall of Mylene's chest as she slept so peacefully. He couldn't help but think she resembled a sleeping angel, so beautiful and delicate. Never in his life had he ever reveled in any woman this way; hell he didn't give a damn about women until dreams of that sultry beauty occurred to him. He was still itching to find out who she was. It had been far too long and Randy was not the most patient man in the world.

Deciding to make a brunch for himself and Mylene, Randy lit up the bonfire again, deboning two large Gringoll trout he'd kept from their fishing trip two days ago. He stuffed the fish with herbs and lime, wrapped it in paper, and placed them in the pan over the fire. He sensed Mylene stir next to him and he smiled softly, stroking her hair once again.

Mylene scrunched up her nose, catching the mouthwatering scent of garlic, herbs, and lime, instantly activating her senses around her. She felt her head resting against Randy's hard thigh muscle and smiled softly, remembering the previous night. She had been feeling rather troubled about the situation back in the palace, remembering her last conversation with Marion through the pendant…

"_Mylene my dear, you look so beautiful," sighed Marion. Mylene, on the other hand, noticed how thin Marion had gotten since she ran away from the palace, "you were right about dyeing your hair brown; I think it suits you more than the blonde hair."_

"_Marion, what happened to you? You look frail," said Mylene worriedly. _

"_Oh it's nothing, really, just a cut on our meals," said Marion. _

"_What do you mean 'a cut on your meals'?" inquired Mylene. _

"_The King has made budget cuts for our care, princess," explained Marion. _

"_I thought the palace was doing fine financially?" Mylene was puzzled. What had happened to the family's fortune accumulated over several generations?_

"_Not since your father…I mean the King went bonkers," explained Marion, "he put himself in quite a predicament by gambling a large sum of the Akermann fortune in a simple game of roulette."_

_**What an ass**__, thought Mylene. "Marion? Who did he lose the money to?"_

"_The very same man whom your father is now forced into debt to…Lord Batista."_

_A lump had formed in Mylene's throat. She felt as though she'd been punched in the stomach. "W-wh-what? He gave away our fortune to __**Batista**__?"_

"_I was livid upon hearing the news, my dear," said Marion sadly, "even your mother threatened suicide. These are very difficult times for the royal family now that Lord Batista is under control of the palace as well."_

"_He WHAT?" cried Mylene, shocked. _

"_He took control of the palace and the King's power, princess. According to your mother, Batista promised to give the money back to your father…on the condition…"_

"_On what condition, Marion?" begged Mylene frantically. _

"_On the condition that your father hand the authoritative power over to Batista and his associates." Mylene's heart dropped. "Your father is still King, but the true power lies with Batista and his men. Now, not only is the Akermann power lost in the monarchy, but Lord Batista is on a manhunt for you!"_

"_No…"_

"_You must keep an eye on your surroundings, princess," warned Marion, "though Lord Batista has control over your father to a certain extent, he still does not have full power of the throne. The only way for him to accomplish this is if he takes your hand in marriage, because you traditionally are the sole heir to the Akermann throne!"_

"_I can't let him find me, Marion! Not just because of what he's done to my family, but when he finds out I'm a Magus, he'll kill me!" cried Mylene. _

"_Initially, three weeks after your departure, your father gave up all hope of searching for you," continued Marion, "he decided to call off the agreements with Lord Batista and attempted to produce another child with your mother. But Lord Batista was determined not to let his connections with your father fizzle. I am not sure of the true story behind Lord Batista's rise to power, but I believe because your father had given up, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He is a sly, cunning man, princess."_

"_I hate him more than I already do," sputtered Mylene, "I don't want to see him and I certainly don't want him to find me. But what about Secretum?"_

"_I don't know what you can do about it, princess," said Marion, fighting back tears, "but if we never see each other again, I hope you and Randy share a life together, a life away from this hell Lord Batista has created in Secretum!"_

Mylene turned her head till her forehead rested against Randy's chest. At this point she felt torn and guilty over what Marion and the rest of Secretum were suffering through. She wasn't sure whether to return back or not, but she couldn't risk exposing herself to her former fiancé and potentially walking herself to her grave.

Randy felt Mylene shift beneath him and he glanced down. Her eyes were half-shut and glassed over, looking towards his body. Her hair fanned out on his lap like a darkened halo.

"Morning, princess," said Randy softly, brushing a stray piece of hair away from her face. He noticed she hadn't responded to him, unusual for the bubbly, chatty brunette. Frowning, he took a closer look and noticed sadness in her dull, murky eyes. "Mylene?"

"Hmmm?" inquired Mylene, gazing up at him. He could tell something wrong clouded her mind.

"You're awfully quiet," he murmured, running his hand over her forehead to make sure she hadn't caught a fever, "are you alright?"

"A lot on my mind," she responded, sitting up from Randy's lap, crouching up and hugging her knees together, "I'm just thinking whether it was right of me to run away from the palace at all?"

"What do you mean?" Randy inquired, surprised. Mylene had told him how miserable she'd been living the palace life; what had made her reconsider her thoughts?

"Marion told me things haven't been going well in the palace," explained Mylene gloomily, "during out last conversation, she's informed me of how the King's gambled nearly all of the family's fortune in a poker game and nearly lost all of it if it hadn't been for a deal he made."

"What kind of deal?" asked Randy. A part of him was not surprised at all that the King of Secretum was corrupt.

"The King made a deal with that disgusting ex-fiancé of mine I told you about," continued Mylene, "Lord Batista was the very same person whom the King almost gambled the money away to. He promised the King he would give him back the money on the condition that he hand the authoritative power over to him. The Akermann's are technically still in rule, but now the King is merely nothing but a puppet emperor. Lord Batista is the one running the scenes from the sidelines. So basically, he's ruling over the entire kingdom of Secretum under the King's name."

Randy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You mean a Magus is under control of Secretum?" He remembered Mylene telling him about Lord Batista and his dangerously powerful magical abilities as—ironically—a great Magi hunter.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" said Mylene, "but Lord Batista is still continuing to seek and hunt down other Magi within Secretum. He and his loyal accomplices have taken over the entire palace and the country. I wish I could stop him, but…"

"What do you mean, you wish you could stop him?" asked Randy, "it's odd hearing that from a Magus, especially you, Mylene. You're one of the strongest Magi I have ever encountered in my life, and hell you're one of the bravest women I've ever met."

"He's far too powerful, though. It was difficult trying to hide my powers around him," sighed Mylene, "but as much as I never want to return to Secretum ever again, I can't let him terrorize my people like that. After all, I am the princess…" Mylene suddenly stopped talking, realizing she was once again acknowledging herself as the one thing she absolutely hated being. Maybe being a princess could be worth something…

"Are you absolutely sure you want to, princess?" said Randy uncertainly, "personally, I don't think it's a very good idea to walk into a trap. You did mention that he is a very powerful Magi hunter."

"I just don't know what to do, Randy," murmured Mylene, resting her head against Randy's shoulder. He glanced down at her and ran a hand over her forehead once again, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Hey…" he said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "how about we go out somewhere?"

Mylene was puzzled. She had told Randy everything that had been going on back at home, and now he wanted to bring up another subject. _Of course, _she thought, shaking her head, _it's Randy. It's hard for him to stay on topic_.

"Where?" inquired Mylene.

"How about we take a visit to the hidden Magi black market?" suggested Randy, "that's where I get some of our food supplies and the material you use for making those cute little outfits you've showed me."

"What's the Magi black market and why is it hidden?" Mylene hadn't heard of a black market exclusively for Magi, not even from one of her past tutors, Dalton, who was a Magi living in secret.

"The black market is only visible to Magi, and it's like any other marketplace you'd see in the streets of Secretum, though I don't believe you've been to a single market in any town before," explained Randy, "they sell everything—from tailored britches to fruits to fish to even furniture and raw materials. Sometimes when I wake up early, I'd take a visit to the market to stock up on supplies and get things like my clothes and rifle fixed. It's a market that's consistently moving, meaning it never stops at one permanent place. I've managed to track down a friend of mine and he says that they're going to pass by the brook at around half past ten, so we'll have to make our way by the brook to catch it."

"That sounds really interesting," Mylene was fascinated. An invisible black market that never stops moving in space? Now, that was something else she hadn't heard of before. "But why is it invisible?"

"For obvious reasons," laughed Randy, "but then again, only Magi can detect it passing by, so mortals can't step into it even if they wanted to. Even if a mortal were with a Magus, all they would find themselves in is a completely empty space that'll they'll be stuck in until the market has moved far, far away from them."

"I like being a Magus," giggled Mylene, getting up from the log and walking back into the tent so she could grab her clothes, get cleaned up, and get changed. As she walked past the rose sitting in a vase, she noticed how the crimson rose petals were beginning to open up slightly at the top, the size of the flower swelling more and more with each day that passed. Grabbing her sack, beaming happily, she could hardly wait to visit the black market with Randy.

* * *

Randy's heart swelled in pride as he watched Mylene happily sauntering towards stall after stall, fascinating herself in the variety of Magus goods they sold at the black market. This was one of the few instances he had seen Mylene so relaxed and chill. It had only been two hours since they'd arrived, and already Mylene's magic pouch weighed nearly twenty pounds. Seeing Mylene so content made Randy smile; he was well aware of how she'd been deprived of the outside world for so long, and at that moment, she finally got to experience so much of what she'd missed for the past twenty-three years.

"This is so gorgeous," gasped Mylene, fawning over a blue opal necklace on display at one of the stalls selling a variety of antiques. Her fingers reached for the crescent shaped pendant, turning it sideways to look at it, and gasped again when she noticed it changed from a sky blue to a jade green. She flipped it sideways again and it turned a milky white, its glow reminding Mylene of the moon.

"This just arrived yesterday, miss," said the short, stout, old woman running the stall, "I've only just put it up today. It's not just any ordinary pendant, my dear. It's a special pendant that shows you what you desire the most."

"It's not showing me anything, though," said Mylene, gently fingering the smooth surface of the opal.

"Because it will only show you the images of what you desire the most when it senses that you need it the most," answered the woman, "since you are my first customer, my dear, I'll give to you for a special price."

"How much?" Mylene jumped in surprise as Randy's low voice rumbled in her ear.

"Oh!" exclaimed the woman, "Mr. Orton! What a surprise to see you stop by my stall! You're always off visiting Deller Jones opposite me, the one who supplies your boots and britches!"

"Well I've honestly never been a fan of antiques, ma'am," admitted Randy humbly, looking at Mylene, who was watching him hopefully, "but I just had to see what this beautiful young lady here was gawking over."

"This gorgeous pendant is up for twelve pieces of silver, a handsome price I should say," said the old woman proudly, taking the pendant and displaying it, showing Randy its intricate, silvery designs.

"Deal," said Randy, pulling out exactly twelve silver coins and handing it to the old woman before Mylene could reach for her own savings. Although he found jewelry to be completely pointless (he found it ridiculous how women would embellish themselves in expensive accessories), he decided he was going to buy it for the princess.

"Randy, you don't have to…"

"I insist," he interrupted, "you've spent quite a bit of money so far. I might as well do you a favor and get you a gift."

"But…"

"No buts, Mylene, it's on me," Randy hushed her, as the old woman gently helped Mylene secure the pendant around her neck.

It was at that moment when Randy had to look back twice at Mylene. All of a sudden, his view of women and jewelry changed. The blue of the opal had brought a rather unusual glow to Mylene's deep blue eyes, making them seem brighter than usual. Her skin seemed rosier, especially at the apples of her cheeks, and her lips appeared more pink and full. Randy felt as though he'd been hit in the stomach as his eyes pore over Mylene's exquisite beauty. At that moment, he wanted to grab her and pull her into the scorching kiss he'd been waiting to plant on her lips since she'd screamed at him that very day.

"Randy?"

He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts to find Mylene grinning at him sweetly. Just that simple smile tempted to send him back to dreamland.

"Hey…" he murmured softly, biting his lip guiltily.

"Are you okay?" she giggled, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the stall, leading him down the stretch of booths of the Magi black market.

"I'm fine…"

He snapped out of his daydream once again when Mylene let out an abrupt gasp next to him. "Randy! They have tattoo services here!"

_Tattoos_? He thought perplexedly, _why would Mylene be interested in a tattoo parlor?_

"I have to get one!" squealed Mylene, dragging him towards the little hut smack at the end of the line, "c'mon, Randy! Let's go!"

* * *

"Randal Keith Orton!" greeted Morrow, the man in charge of the tattoo parlor with a strong, Scottish accent, "it's been good to see ye again!" Randy knew Morrow well, for Morrow had been the one responsible for the ink that sleeved both of Randy's muscled arms.

Mylene scurried past the two men and marveled at the scene around her. Portraits of Morrow's past customers covered the walls of the small hut. By the side where the counter stood, piles of tattoo design books and manuals on the equipment stacked on the bookshelf built against the wall.

"I didn't expect to see you opening shop at the black market, Morrow," said Randy, shaking Morrow's hand and chest-bumping him. Morrow wheezed upon the forceful impact of his chest meeting Randy's rock hard muscles.

"I've been lackin' customers," replied Morrow gruffly, coughing for breath. He noticed Mylene gazing around the shop and raised an eyebrow curiously, "Orton, I didn't know ye had a lass. She yer girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Randy replied, though he was reluctant to acknowledge this fact, "she's a good friend of mine. Her name's Mylene."

"What brings her to me shop then?" asked Morrow, curiously observing how awed Mylene had been upon the sight of tattooing equipment, "she ain't the kind of girl I'd expect lookin' at me shop like that."

"No clue," admitted Randy.

"She's the first pretty lady I've seen even catchin' a glance at this ol' run down shack," added Morrow, "she must be a peculiar little thing."

"She's beautiful," Randy agreed softly, smiling gently.

"Randy?" Mylene piped up suddenly, "what would you think if I got a tattoo?"

Randy was surprised that Mylene was interested in tattoos. More importantly, he thought, what kind of tattoo would she want on her skin and where?

"I don't mind," said Randy. He didn't want to say it out loud, but Randy confessed being a sucker for women with tattoos. He found ink on the female body rather erotic and very sexy.

"Brilliant," said Mylene, pulling out her sketchpad and showing it to Morrow, who scrutinized her drawings of the tattoo she wanted. Randy's eyebrows shot up, surprised at how prepared she'd been for this day. _She must have wanted a tattoo rather badly, considering she'd brought her sketchbook along,_ thought Randy. Morrow nodded a few times and gave Mylene a thumbs-up, indicating he could do the job for her.

"It's a brilliant idea, lass," said Morrow, grinning toothily, "in fact, I've never seen anything like it. Ye've got to watch this, Orton. Yer little lady's an artist."

Randy was amazed at how Mylene had excitedly jumped into the chair and closed her eyes, resting calmly as Morrow started on her right shoulder. He furrowed his brow once the first tattoo was done, scrutinizing it carefully. He nearly had a fright when he realized he'd seen that very image before.

While Morrow prepared for the second tattoo, requested on her back, Mylene proudly showed Randy her new shoulder tattoo. The skin around the new ink was red hot, but it wasn't what Randy's eyes were locked on:

A large golden cross, tangled by the sharp vines of a beautiful red rose in full bloom, the petals, stalk, and leaves filled in with the exact same colors that matched the rose inked on his left arm.

Randy was speechless.

"Do you want to see my other design, Randy?" said Mylene sweetly, battering her eyelashes at him flirtatiously.

He nodded, every word he had intended to speak that very day stolen from him. With a silent nod, he took the sketchpad from her and nearly had a fright when his eyes fell upon the page titled 'Upper back'.

Staring back at him was a pair of angel's wings, requested in the standard color of bluish green. It was simple, yet the image appeared so soft, fluffy, and so realistic. But Mylene's artistic skills weren't what took his breath away.

The moment of realization had hit him when Morrow got to work on the span of Mylene's back. He was so stricken, he even paid no attention to Mylene momentarily stripping off her shirt so Morrow could work the wings into on her bare back. He had seen this all before, and it was now all forming before his very eyes. This was no dream. This was no illusion.

This was all real, and everything was falling into place.

It hit him.


	19. Realization

**Runaway**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Realization**

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry, super short chapter, but I hope y'all are enjoying this story so far!**

* * *

_Staring back at him was a pair of angel's wings, requested in the standard color of bluish green. It was simple, yet the image appeared so soft, fluffy, and so realistic. But Mylene's artistic skills weren't what took his breath away. _

_The moment of realization had hit him when Morrow got to work on the span of Mylene's back. He was so stricken, he even paid no attention to Mylene momentarily stripping off her shirt so Morrow could work the wings into on her bare back. He had seen this all before, and it was now all forming before his very eyes. This was no dream. This was no illusion._

_This was all real, and everything was falling into place. _

_It hit him. _

"Do you like my new tats, Randy?" Mylene asked sweetly, turning around and brushing her hair aside so that Randy had an excellent view of the angel's wings inked on her back.

Randy nodded, for he was lost for words. He hadn't said a word since his eyes fell upon the first tattoo that covered Mylene's right shoulder. Everything was coming back to him at that very moment; a sudden nostalgia clouded his mind. He remembered where he'd seen those same tattoos on the very same place, inked on the tender soft skin of the same dark-haired, blue eyed beauty he'd recalled seeing several times before. He could hardly believe he wasn't hallucinating at that very moment.

"You're awfully quiet," Mylene giggled, still ecstatic over her new tattoos long after they'd returned to campsite. She gazed up at him with her big blue eyes. "Is something on your mind, Randy?"

Those eyes. He had seen those eyes before. He knew where they'd come from.

"Randy?" Mylene repeated again, her face growing concern, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he managed to cough. These were the first words he managed to utter since watching Mylene getting her new ink done.

"You sure?" Mylene rested her hand on his arm, the touch of her soft, smooth skin sinking into his nerves. Randy shuddered slightly, knowing that touch all too well.

"You're not cold or anything?" she tried asking him, feeling the shudder underneath her palm. She could sense a disturbance lurking in Randy's mind; there seemed to be something that occupied this thoughts, something that she couldn't quite detect.

Randy shook his head, but his eyes continued to pore over the beautiful princess, stricken and in awe of what had just happened. Her chocolate brown hair, her sparkling eyes of sapphire, and her newly inked skin…he had seen it all; he just needed to make sure it was true. That night, after a very silent meal with Mylene, he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, envisioning the dream angel he'd dreamed of nearly every single night, making sure to take in every single detail of her.

"_Randy…"_

_Randy heard the sultry whisper call his name, the seductive purr of a woman luring him to an underground tunnel that eventually led him to a cavern resembling an ancient Roman bath. A waterfall made of natural rock poured down into a pool in front, vines of roses interlacing the pillars around the cavern, the only source of light dimly falling from the ceiling above the bath. In front of the bath was a bench of stone, where he found a chocolate brown-haired beauty sitting there with her back turned to him. "Randy…" her voice echoed off the walls of the cavern. _

_Put in a trance by her enchanting, seductive call, Randy slowly stepped up behind the brunette goddess, brushing her hair aside to reveal a pair of angel's wings inked into her bare back, to which he groaned at. He felt her skin shudder upon his gentle touch as he traced the lines on her skin. _

"_I'm here, Angel," Randy whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss to her neck. His hot breath hit her ear and she moaned softly, arching her back when one of his fingers strayed over her lower back. _

"_Do you like this?" Randy purred seductively into her ear, burying his face in her lavender scented hair. An image of a golden cross entwined in the midst of vines that led to a blooming red rose caught his sight, his fingers brushed over the beautiful ink, so erotically marked on her skin. _

"_Yes," she whispered, grabbing his hand before it could travel down to the side of her breast. _

"_I want to see your beautiful face, Angel," he murmured in her ear. She turned her head and he managed to catch a glimpse of her fine facial features. She fully turned around to face him; the only thing that concealed her face was an intricate mask of black lace and purple crystals. But what enchanted him the most were her eyes of sapphire that twinkled at him, those mysterious blue eyes that stared into his own. They, much like his own, clouded with a mixture of lust, desire, and love. He stroked her cheek, his skin brushing against the lace of her mask. Cupping her cheek in his large palm, he rested his forehead against hers, their noses nuzzling, losing one another in each other's eyes._

"_May I?" he looked into her eyes as though he were pleading to her. _

_She nodded, fluttering her eyes shut as Randy reached around and undid the ties behind her head, he let the mask fall of her face and he jumped back in shock. _

It was Mylene.

Mylene was the woman of his dreams.

She was the same beauty who appeared to him every night, who seduced his thoughts and left him wanting more. In his eyes, he envisioned her as the very embodiment of womanly perfection, the angel who saved him from the depths of loneliness, the spark that brought life to his quiet life in the woods. She was the combination of sweet, fiery, and just utterly too adorable to resist. Randy found himself falling for the bubbly princess more and more each day, and little did he realize throughout all this time, Mylene Akermann was the girl he'd been dreaming of for nights.

* * *

Meanwhile, the blue-eyed brunette had secretly snuck out of the tent and went out on a walk by herself. She was rather confused at Randy's unusual behavior earlier in the day. First they had been enjoying a day of shopping at the black market, and the next thing she knew, he had barely spoken to her since she'd gotten her tattoos.

Randy was acting in a very peculiar manner. Did his silence have anything to do with her tattoos? She was sure he approved of them; he said so himself. But was there something about her new ink that seemed to bother him so much to the point where he could hardly speak to her?

As she walked past the tree she once resided underneath, she sensed something familiar. Frowning, she tracked the scent using her Magus senses, casting a charm that allowed her to dig through the entire base of the tree. Her fingers brushed against the surface of paper and she immediately retrieved it, pulling it out of the tree. In her hands was a piece of folded paper.

Curiously, Mylene unfolded the piece of paper, knowing she'd seen this piece of paper somewhere. She gasped when she unveiled an image of a handsome, muscled man, standing shirtless except for a pair of slacks, a network of tattoos running down each of his massive arms. His six-pack was as toned as the pair of pectorals across his upper chest. His facial features sharp yet so handsome, the entire sketch of him was completely in black and white, except for a pair of piercing, electric blue eyes that stared back at her.

Staring back at her was a sketch of Randy Orton.

Suddenly, Mylene remembered where this had come from. It had been that day in her room back in the palace, when she'd decided to draw a sketch of the face she saw in her dreams every night. Randy was the man she'd envisioned in her dreams every night, showering her with affection and giving her the warm feeling she felt inside whenever she saw him, sometimes even making love to her.

She couldn't believe how dumb she'd been all this time. Randy was the lover she so desperately dreamed of, the lover whom she'd never thought would ever come to her. And all this time, he had existed for the past few weeks, building up a strong bond that caused the spark of their special friendship.

She had to tell Randy, but how? Would Randy think she was insane, tell her she'd got the wrong guy, and shun her coldly like he used to when they first met? But if Mylene dreamed about Randy, was it possible that Randy would dream about Mylene in return? Nevertheless, at that moment, Mylene was unsure of how to act around her new best friend.


	20. The Rose of Rememberance

**Runaway**

* * *

**Chapter 20: The Rose of Remembrance**

* * *

**Author's Note: Things are going to get hot between Mylene and Randy. You shall see in this chapter…**

* * *

Just days had passed since the unmasking of his mysterious lover in his dreams, but all Randy could think of was Mylene. He could hardly believe his eyes when the striking resemblance between Mylene and his dream girl was a perfect match, but somewhere in his gut feeling, he knew she had been the one.

She was the only girl to understand him, to feel for him, and to share laughter and comfort with. She was the sole woman who had been in his life since the passing of his mother over a decade ago. Though from different worlds, they were so much alike in so many different ways, from their love of nature to their rebellious ways of life. In addition, they both longed for adventure and love.

Randy had already found his latter in the form of Mylene Akermann. Though at first he was skeptical of her, his doubts proved her wrong and they were now the best of friends. Her naïve and innocent ways, her youthfulness, and her sweet charm absolutely captivated him. He was attracted to her darkened locks of soft waves combined with her deep, ocean blue eyes, and her petite yet slender figure. But it was her stubborn streak and adventurous personality that drove him crazy.

That day at the black market had been the biggest wake-up call he'd ever gotten in his life. He'd come to the conclusion that Mylene was the girl he'd envisioned in his dreams nightly, and unsure of how to deal with it, barely spoke to the real life version for the next few days, leaving the brunette beauty wondering until she herself got a similar pang of realization.

In a recap of the last part of the chapter, Mylene had been restless and decided to go out for a walk. As she passed by the tree she used to reside against before moving in with Randy, she found a drawing, a drawing of Randy she recognized as a sketch she did of him back in the palace, when she'd decided to make out the image of the man she dreamed about every night, the man who gave the love and comfort she so desired in reality.

Somewhere deep inside her heart, she sensed that it was Randy all along. And Randy thought the same in return. But what remained in each other's minds was the worry if their significant others didn't believe them. Mylene feared that Randy would think she was crazy and abandon her in the forest, while Randy was afraid that he would lose Mylene as a friend and their friendship would no longer be the same.

But little did they realize, a hiking trail in the forest would lead their hidden secrets to be revealed.

On a clear, fine day, Randy was on his way to the brook for his bath when he found the beautiful Mylene sitting by the water. With a pencil she'd bought from the black market in hand, she gracefully moved it across a sketchbook she'd also purchased that same day, drawing lines and shapes into a picture she was nearly complete with.

It wasn't Mylene's artistic skills that caught Randy's attention, however; It was what she drew that struck him greatly.

Mylene was drawing _him_.

Every single detail of him—the hard planes of his shoulder blades, the strong jaw, the tattoo that ran across his upper back—was perfect. The way Mylene captured that pose of him standing with his back partially turned was flawless. Randy was amazed at how she'd managed to pinpoint every location and every spot of every single tattoo that adorned his arms.

He sensed that she'd cast a charm to deafen herself from the world around her. Taking a chance, he stepped up behind her and buried his face in her neck, breathing in the flowery scent of her hair. His nose accidentally brushed against the softness of her skin and immediately the charm broke.

"Were you spying on me this whole time?" Mylene inquired Randy suspiciously, quickly putting away her sketchbook.

"No, not really," lied Randy, though his quick speech and flushed expression said more. Fortunately for him, Mylene seemed to have shaken it off quickly, but an awkward silence remained between them.

"I'll move if you're going to take a bath," Mylene broke the silence, getting up from her spot, but Randy grabbed her arm before she could leave.

"No, wait." Mylene was surprised at Randy's action. It made her blush so furiously to think that Randy possibly wanted her to stay and watch him strip down to the nude…

"I was going to show you this place later, but I guess we should go anyway before it gets dark."

"What place?" inquired Mylene curiously, as they strolled along the forest together, watching a herd of shadow horses pass by without a glance. But Randy did not answer her until they reached a stone statue of two elfin lovers. The statue had been thousands of years old, so vines had grown on the statue over time. He murmured an incantation and the elfin lovers glowed blue. Mylene panicked when she felt the ground shaking beneath her.

"What's going on, Randy?" Mylene asked, rather frightened. Her answer was in the form of a flight of stairs that appeared in front of the statue.

"You'll see," insisted Randy, taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze, assuring her there was nothing to be afraid of. Mylene bit her lip and kept close to Randy's side, clutching onto his arm as they descended down the flight of stairs.

They had stepped into a small cavern that appeared to have once been an elfin bathhouse. In the middle of the room was a small-sized pool, the water flowing from a waterfall made of stone. Roses entangled these rocks, and these same roses were seen on the pillars that stood around the cavern. Mylene noticed the same roses forming an arch where they'd just stepped out from, and the only source of light came from above the cavern, shining just where the waterfall flowed and the roses bloomed. She could tell this place hadn't been used for years, yet it was so beautiful and close to her heart.

Mylene was fascinated by this place, particularly by the roses that adorned nearly every single aspect of the room. The ones planted away from the sunlight seemed to glow crimson in the dark; they seemed to twinkle as they bloomed. As Mylene brushed her fingers against a bud, it suddenly bloomed like the others, sparkling in the dark. Not only was this rose familiar to her, but she felt as though she'd seen this place before in her dreams.

When she turned around to say something to Randy, however, she found him eyeing her lustfully, his blue eyes clouded in arousal. He took out a rose, the same rose he'd given her that day, and approached her slowly, cornering her against the pillar. She glanced between the roses next to her and the rose Randy held out to her and realized they matched perfectly. This was where Randy had gotten the rose for her, which was now in full bloom and glowing like the many others in the room.

"Randy…" the dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty whispered, his lustful stare making her nervous. She'd seen that look before; it was the look that he gave her whenever he made love to her in her dreams.

"It was you," was all Randy murmured before dropping the rose and grabbing her face into a passionate kiss.

It didn't take long before Mylene opened up to him, and their tongues engaged in a battle for dominance. Randy slithered his hands down her neck and glided along her body before lifting her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Her hands locked behind his neck, deepening the kiss if that were possible. Nostalgia flooded through both of their heads, and the world around them had been oblivious. Neither thought once of their previous worries; neither was concerned that someone could discover them in this cavern. All that mattered was that they had found each other.

He finally broke the kiss, allowing her to breathe for a moment, before attacking her neck with his gentle nipping and sucking. When he hit a certain spot by her collarbone, she let out a moan. That was her sweet spot, the same sweet spot he always made her moan with whenever he kissed her on that spot. At the same time, one of his hands moved down to her center. He smirked when he could already feel how wet she was for him. He was about to strip her of her top and move down to her breasts when she suddenly pushed him away and hopped off of him.

She moved away from him slowly, purposely giving her hips a little bit of swing as she sauntered towards the edge of the bath. He was about to follow her until she motioned for him to stop. Turning her back to him, she muttered a silent incantation and moved her hands all over her body. He felt his pants suddenly shrink several sizes too small when every single article of clothing disappeared from her body. To tease him further, she threw her head over her shoulder and bit her bottom lip, before stepping into the bath and underneath the waterfall, allowing the torrent to pour down onto her naked body.

Randy swore his balls could've exploded right there. That was perhaps the most erotic thing he'd seen in his life. His eyes stared at her smooth skin that glowed from the light, her breasts, her feminine curves, and the way that her drenched hair stuck to her skin. Her blue eyes appeared more doe-like and her rosy pink lips seemed more pouty than usual. He couldn't take it any longer when she began running her hands over her breasts and slim figure. He had to have her. He had to have her right there. He wasn't going to rely on wet dreams to satisfy him anymore.

His clothes were gone too within a flash. Mylene's eyes grew wide with appreciation as they salivated his godlike figure. She had imagined him to be perfect but never had she ever seen any man so large and male like his. She closed her eyes, trying to control her orgasm, but when she opened her eyes he was just inches away from her. Once again she was within his grasp and his mouth was on hers, this time the kiss was rougher yet more passionate.

His hands groped her breasts, rolling her nipples in between his fingers. She threw her head back when he sucked on her right breast softly, alternating his actions with a lick and a gentle bite. He pulled her away from the flowing water that had suddenly gone cold and blew on her breast. She felt her nipple harden and felt as though she were going to faint when his mouth was on her breast once again. He continued to attack the soft, bouncy mound of womanly flesh until he was satisfied, and then repeated the same actions with the other side. What he had imagined in his dreams had nothing on what he had to devour at that very moment.

His six-pack pressed against her flat, toned stomach as he kissed her breasts. Mylene managed to push him off of her and do her work by kissing each one of his abs. She was far too short to reach for his rock hard pectorals, so she massaged them carefully as her lips brushed against his muscled core. Randy let out a low groan when one of her hands grabbed his cock and started pumping him. She stroked him carefully, her soft skin tickling the vein on the underside of his cock. The combination of her tongue on his navel and her hands stroking his manhood was too much to bear for the tattooed rogue. It was an impossible job for him to control himself at that moment. He was going to have to 'punish' her for torturing him so painfully.

She'd paid her price when he lifted her up onto the edge of the bath and spread her legs wide, allowing him to salivate her pink flesh. The folds called out to him, her pussy so wet for him. He rubbed her inner thighs before kissing his way to her center. She screamed softly as his tongue lashed against her center. Her sweet honey coated his tongue with each stroke, with each stroke he wanted more of her, and he got more of her when he began sucking her clit softly. She let out a guttural purr when his tongue journeyed deep into her, working magic with both his tongue and fingers, teasing her to the point where the pleasure had become torture. When she opened her eyes she could see that he was watching her. That look alone was enough for her to explode all over his face.

She slid back into the water and bent over for him, her hands gripping the edge of the bath. His breath hitched as he watched her offer herself to him in this manner. Without hesitation, he slid into her backdoor and watched her toss her head back in ecstasy. Pounding into her repeatedly, he felt the sexual high rushing through every single part of his body, the feeling overwhelming his senses. He wasn't going to cum for her yet, but this task was excruciatingly difficult from the way she kept moaning his name and the way she rolled her hips against his cock.

She'd finally been pushed over the edge and her channel squeezed his cock as her pleasure washed over her body. He stopped pummeling into her and cradled her shivering body into his embrace. But he was not done with her yet at this point.

Randy lifted her till he was carrying her bridal style and laid her down onto a bench by the bath. He watched her breasts shudder with each breath she took, her blue eyes twinkling in arousal. Slowly he settled down on top of her and plunged into her once more. He looked deeply into her eyes, pressing deeper into the spot he knew gave her so much pleasure. Finding his rhythm, he thrust into her perfectly, hitting that spot each time. Her slippery, silken walls tightened around him as he pounded her, screaming his name. With one last thrust, he spilled his seed into her and collapsed against her breasts.

They were both out of breath, panting heavily in each other's arms. Randy looked down at Mylene, whose lovely features were flushed and rosy with the intense lovemaking session they just had with each other. For the first time, he had her in his arms, and this was no sexual fantasy. Their love and desire for each other had once only been a dream, but now their real life friendship had transformed into what they'd wanted for so long. Randy scooped an exhausted Mylene into his arms and laid her down gently onto the floor, giving her a soft kiss on the lips and cuddling next to her.

"Randy…" Mylene managed to gasp.

"Mylene…" he responded, his purr husky and sexy. She lifted a shivering arm and caressed his cheek softly, her eyes gazing at him tenderly. He returned her a gaze so full of love and they began kissing softly, neither intending to leave their little love nest too soon.


	21. Captured

**Runaway**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Captured**

* * *

**Author's Note: I own everything except any recognizable names from the WWE. Unfortunately, as much as I would love to, I don't own Randy Orton. **

* * *

Life in the forests was peaceful, tranquil, and uninterrupted. As summer arrived the creatures in the forest became more active; it was not at all an unusual sight to see herds of Sun Caribou and flocks of peahens just a few miles away from campsite. Butterflies of all colors were not at all a rare sight; the rays of the sun that shone through the treetops only enhanced their rainbow of colorful wings. Baths by the brook had become more frequent, for the temperature had risen and there were no such things as coolers (the other world equivalent to what humans called air conditioners) in the wilderness.

And speaking of rising temperature, things were getting very steamy between two particular creatures in the forest.

A man had a woman pinned against a large Goodwood tree, pumping himself into her as their lips were locked in a fiery battle of passion. Both were stark naked, but it wasn't as though either one of them cared; after all, they were in a forest forbidden to most human-like species. His blue eyes locked on her face, so flushed and rosy, although this was only the beginning. He felt his heart wrench, her silky inner walls squeezing his furiously throbbing length, as she repeatedly moaned his name, encouraging him, begging him for more. He could not say no to her; to refuse her was an unforgivable sin.

"C'mon, baby…" the male groaned in a low voice, deep, husky, and laced with lust. His words tickled her arousal furthermore, urging her to follow him to the pinnacle of ecstasy.

She lifted a hand to stop him, her ocean blue eyes cloudy to indicate she was aroused. Silently, she gave him the message to change positions, and he reluctantly pulled himself out of her. She hopped off of him and turned her back towards him, bending over in a seductive manner, her pink, gleaming flesh calling out to him. He wasted no time into entering her again from behind, pumping into her once again. Her hands gripped the surface of the tree truck whilst his held her rolling hips. They moved down to cup her breasts, to tease the sensitive tips he'd sucked earlier, to massage the bouncy flesh he so enjoyed tasting beforehand. She tossed her head back as she moaned, her long, lustrous locks creating a milky chocolate curtain down her slender back.

It had been too quick for him; it wasn't even minutes before he found himself emptying his seed into her. She turned him on so greatly it was difficult to control himself. He heard her moan in disappointment at him being too quick; he decided to make it up to her by plummeting into the heart of her a second time.

Since that day when they made love to each other in that mysterious hidden Elvin bath, Randy Orton and Mylene Akermann simply couldn't keep their hands off of each other, literally. Since finding out that they were each other's soul mates (or in this case, should I say dream mates), not a single passed by without Randy and Mylene showing their love for each other. It could be said that the two were now a couple in love.

They slept in the same bed, woke up in each other's arms, went down to take baths by the brook together, made meals together…they pretty much did everything together now. And not a single day passed by without some 'action' going on between them. Regardless of it being by the brook, in their cozy little tent, by the fireplace, or even up against some random tree, it was a daily ritual for Randy and Mylene to give each other the pleasure they so desired through their dreams.

After the third time, both Randy and Mylene were exhausted. Their steamy lovemaking had not only worn them out, but also pleasured their needs. Mylene was addicted to Randy's sexual drive, while Randy craved the little spitfire in her. They were a perfect match meant to be; the hot, nasty sex wasn't the sole purpose of their relationship.

Randy collapsed onto Mylene, who lay on a bed of leaves, his head resting against her soft, heaving breasts. He shivered as Mylene stroked the back of his head; he would have been more than willing to go for round two (or should I say, round four) had he the energy to do so. She lifted his head gently so she could gaze into his cloudy blue eyes, smiling softly at him before giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

"That was…wow…" gasped Mylene.

"I know, baby," replied Randy, kissing her once more. They rolled over till she was on top and he spooned her into his arms, cuddling her against the tree, not caring that they were fully naked in the middle of the wilderness. After taking in each other for the longest time, she finally stood up and put her clothes on.

"You know, I could get used to this," giggled Mylene, watching Randy pull on his undergarments and pants.

"You better be by now, baby," growled Randy, grinning at her naughtily. He pinned her against the tree and captured her lips in a kiss once again. He knows she should've been used to the feeling after this had become their daily ritual.

Suddenly, Mylene stopped, breaking the kiss. Staring into the distance, she sensed trouble.

Randy took notice of her worried expression, he too sensing that something was wrong. Both had caught the sound of horses trampling on the ground in the distance…

"Dark horses…" murmured Randy, knowing that familiar sound of hooves clicking. The sounds seemed to be getting louder and louder…

"Magi hunters!" gasped Mylene, grasping onto Randy's hand, "RUN!" she screamed, fleeing as quickly as she could.

Mylene had recognized dark horses as the primary choice of transportation for Magi hunters, for she had seen a herd of them from her bedroom window. Dark horses were anything but to be taken lightly. They indicated the arrival of Magi hunters, something that both Randy and Mylene had feared.

The trampling sound of clicking hooves got louder and louder; it felt as though the hunters were right on their path, close behind them. Panic rushed through Mylene's head as the thought of being discovered frightened her. What was going to happen to her? Were these Magi hunters going to deliver her back to the palace and reveal her identity to the entire kingdom? How were her parents going to react? What would become of her fate, if she ended up in the arms of Dave Batista once again? She couldn't go back. She had grown accustomed to life with Randy in the forest; she'd nearly forgotten she was a runaway princess in the first place. She couldn't let her or Randy get caught.

Randy too was fearful of the thought of getting caught. All he could wonder was how had the Magi hunters been able to detect them in the forest? Could someone have tipped them off? But even if someone had tipped them off, how could anyone have tipped them off? Randy couldn't let Mylene get caught; what if they found out she was the runaway princess of Secretum? He himself would get put to death; he'd be accused of kidnapping her, while she could become Lord Batista's wife and find herself in an even worse predicament. He couldn't let her get caught. He had to save her.

He sensed the presence of a few Magi hunters hot on his trail and he fired a few spells at them. He was able to knock a few of them off of their horses, and he managed to stun some of the horses too. When he fired a spell at the leader, however, he was left stunned. He recognized an invisible shield protecting the leader of the pack, something that cannot be conjured via machinery. He had just realized it when the leader cast a powerful immobilizing spell that knocked him to the ground, leaving him motionless and unable to move his body.

Mylene glanced back when she heard Randy's cries. She turned around and was horrified to see that the guards had taken Randy out.

"RANDY!" screamed Mylene.

"Run," groaned Randy softly before passing out.

Mylene had to save Randy. She couldn't let the hunters get away with Randy. But in her heart she knew Randy would not have wanted her to get caught as well; it was then when she realized how important her safety was at that moment.

She heard the leader say to his accomplices, "Take him. I'll go after the girl," and she fled as quickly as she could.

The leader of the pack was hot on pursuit, it didn't take long before he was just meters away from her. Panicking, Mylene fired a series of spells at him, but many of them rendered useless against the leader, much to her surprise. There was a shield that protected him against those spells, a shield that only a Magus could conjure. Remembering a powerful stunning spell Randy had taught her, Mylene fired it at the dark horse, killing it instantly.

Mylene thought she was able to escape when she knocked out the leader's horse, but little did she realize, the leader was chasing after her on foot at a ridiculously impossible speed. Before she could blink twice, he'd pinned her to the ground with his hand around her throat, restraining her as he glared at her through his helmet. Slowly, Mylene felt as though all the life had been sucked out of her, and within seconds, everything went black.


	22. Stuck in a Predicament

**Runaway**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Stuck in a Predicament**

* * *

_Mylene had to save Randy. She couldn't let the hunters get away with Randy. But in her heart she knew Randy would not have wanted her to get caught as well; it was then when she realized how important her safety was at that moment. _

_She heard the leader say to his accomplices, "Take him. I'll go after the girl," and she fled as quickly as she could. _

_The leader of the pack was hot on pursuit, it didn't take long before he was just meters away from her. Panicking, Mylene fired a series of spells at him, but many of them rendered useless against the leader, much to her surprise. There was a shield that protected him against those spells, a shield that only a Magus could conjure. Remembering a powerful stunning spell Randy had taught her, Mylene fired it at the dark horse, killing it instantly. _

_Mylene thought she was able to escape when she knocked out the leader's horse, but little did she realize, the leader was chasing after her on foot at a ridiculously impossible speed. Before she could blink twice, he'd pinned her to the ground with his hand around her throat, restraining her as he glared at her through his helmet. Slowly, Mylene felt as though all the life had been sucked out of her, and within seconds, everything went black. _

After a long period of quiescence, Mylene awoke to find herself in a familiar environment, one she wished she'd never return to again. Slowly gaining back consciousness, she had found herself in a dangerous predicament when she found herself facing none other than the royal throne of Akermann, her father the King sitting pompously on the embellished chair. Mylene glanced next to her and saw Randy struggling to escape. She too did the same but discovered a pair of cuffs on each of her wrists. The cuffs emitted a strange aura that enervated her magical abilities, rendering her from using magic to escape easily. Two of the Magi hunters she'd seen before held her arm, one grasping each forearm tightly.

She recognized the leader of the Magi hunters in his black and red armor, kneeling before the King and addressing him formally.

"I have brought two vagrants of Magus blood from the Forbidden Forests, your Highness," announced the leader in a low, gruff voice. Mylene swore she'd heard that voice from somewhere. "They were recalcitrant, defying our authority when we ordered them to turn themselves in. Clearly they deserve to be disciplined, your Highness, what will you suggest?"

The King narrowed his eyes at both Randy and Mylene. "Two Magi out of the Forbidden Forests, of all places!" he exclaimed, his authoritarian presence looming, "this must be a field day for you and your men, Lord Batista. I say you decide the fate of those two, for you have nabbed not one, but two criminals at once!"

Mylene gasped as the leader turned around, his helmet off. Poring a hole through her was the man she wished she would never see again. Lord Batista was gazing at her in a very lustful manner, the stare that sent chills down her spine, but not in a good way. Silently, she prayed that he didn't recognize her.

"Stay away from her!" Randy snarled at Lord Batista, who was just approaching Mylene with a sick smile on his face.

Lord Batista's attention turned to Randy, who continued to squirm under restraint. No matter how hard he tried to free himself, the cuffs around his wrists preventing him from escaping.

"Trying to protect her, lover boy?" taunted Lord Batista, "too bad. There's nothing you can do about it. You defy me once more and I'll have you punished severely. Still, I don't blame for you for being protective, boy; she is a desirable one, indeed."

"Fuck the rules, you're not touching her, asshole!" vilified Randy, fighting the urge not to spit in an authority figure's face. He was not all daunted by Lord Batista's threat; "I don't give a flying fuck if you're the King's advisor or something!"

"I will not tolerate invectives in my household!" shrilled the King, jabbing his finger aggressively at Randy, who continued to shout swear words at Lord Batista, "send him down to the prisons!"

Forcefully, the Magi hunters dragged a defiantly screaming Randy out of the throne room, bringing him down to the dreaded prisons located underground Secretum.

"Randy!" Mylene cried, struggling from the Magi hunters' grasp.

"Don't worry about me!" cried Randy, remembering not to mention Mylene's name out loud, "I'll find a way out of this, babe!"

As soon as the heavy doors slammed shut, the King slumped back in his chair. "I hate the Magi," he muttered, "I especially detest the stubborn ones, like that young man back there."

"Not to worry, your Highness; he will be dealt with shortly," assured Lord Batista, "as for the girl…" He then turned to Mylene and ordered the guards, "bring her to me."

Mylene was brought before Lord Batista, her eyes instantly making contact with her former fiancé. She noticed his eyes clouding over in lust as he examined her, circling her with a smirk on his face. When he made one round, he reached out to touch her hair and stroke her cheek. Mylene tried to hide the disgust forming on her face at that moment. The smell of his strong cologne was absolutely overwhelming. She wanted nothing more than to scream and escape, escape from the self-conceited pig putting his grimy hands all over her.

"Mmmm…definitely my type," murmured Lord Batista. "You look awfully familiar, my dear. I knew a beautiful girl who looks a lot like you, but you, my dear, are even more lovely than she ever was." Mylene was slightly relieved that he hadn't recognized her, but at the same time sickened at his comment.

"I can see why lover boy was so protective of you, my dear," Lord Batista continued to caress her, loving the way her blue eyes flamed wickedly at him, "you're certainly the type that men would chase after. To be honest, if you hadn't tried to knock me off of my horse, I would've considered making you one of my mistresses."

"You're sick," sputtered Mylene furiously, "you're a twisted perv."

Lord Batista chuckled lightly. "Meow," he growled seductively, "you're feisty. I like you, kitten, I've always had a thing for feisty beauties like you."

Mylene had had enough. With all the strength she could muster, she somehow managed to break free of the chains holding her and forcefully fling both guards aside. She was just about to throw a stunning spell at Batista when he swiftly grabbed her wrist and mutter a spell that drained the life out of her body. Suddenly, Mylene felt weak and collapsed to the ground. Lord Batista bent down to face her and lifted her chin.

"You are a fiery one, kitten, but I am a gentlemen and never believe in harsh punishments for ladies," said Lord Batista, "why don't I send you down to the palace gardens to work as a servant? I'll have my eye on you on the meantime."

* * *

Down in the prisons, Randy was chained to the stone walls of his prison cell, the metal cuffs emitting special electromagnetic waves that limited the extent of his powers. Despite this, however, he physically struggled to break free from the chains, sensing that Mylene was in grave danger. He couldn't risk letting her fall into the hands of whoever this Lord Batista guy was; he not only feared for his life, but he also feared for her safety should her identity be exposed.

He cursed himself out loud when the chains magically pulled him back, slamming his back roughly against the wall. He hears footsteps coming towards his cell and he hurriedly puts himself back together, making it look as though nothing had happened.

"Relax, boy. You'll be safe and sound in this cell specially designed for pesky little Magi like you," boomed Lord Batista's voice that echoed throughout the musky prison. Randy felt his blood boil when the Lord's burly figure approached him from the opposite side of the bars.

"What have you done with her?" growled Randy.

"You mean that beautiful young lady whom you were brought here with?" laughed Batista, "no need to worry, boy. She's safe and sound; she's outside working in the palace gardens. I never believed in punishing a woman, I am a gentleman after all. Surprised that you were able to last this long without getting caught, boy. You and your Magi have your own ways of stealth, but I am even more intelligent that you think I am. In the name of the Akermann kings, I'll hunt down every last Magus remaining in this world and make Secretum a happier, more peaceful land."

Randy wasn't paying attention to Batista's self-praising monologue, however. His eyes were fixed on a giant ruby ring resting on Batista's right ring finger. The ring emitted a nostalgic aura. Randy knew he'd definitely seen that ring before…

_A conflagration spread through the small village of Caelum, its residents in complete pandemonium, dissipating throughout the chaos. Armed men on horseback fired red beams that congealed the people of Caelum into ice, allowing them to singe under the proliferating flames that burned down houses. _

_The leader of the Magi hunters stormed through the wave of panic, killing each and every Magus that went in his way. He scouts the area, scrutinizing the scene for any survivors, seeking to eliminate every last one of them. He spots a man helping a woman and a boy to escape and instantly sends his men to go after them. On his way he spots a boy and a girl and kills them mercilessly with his bare hands, draining the life out of their bodies. He charges towards the man, who gallantly fires several spells at him, immobilizing his horse. _

_The leader, sensing a very powerful aura in this Magus, challenges him to a duel. It was a good fight that was at deadlock, spells after spells being fired one after another. However, the man had somehow brought the leader down to his knees when he fired a very powerful spell, a Stupefying Spell that had been augmented by over a thousand times in power. _

"_You're a strong one, indeed, sir, but see what I have done to your family," the leader cackled, as one of his soldiers showed the man the corpses of a boy and a girl. The man cried out in grief, realizing this was his son and daughter, as the leader fired a killing spell behind the man's back. _

"_Go after his wife and other child, they are still alive," commanded the leader. _

_And three years later they did, in a small sanctuary that housed Magi refugees, just in the outskirts of Hollowbrook. There, they razed the house with torches of flames, but the woman and her son managed to flee the house. Outside, however, they encountered the leader and his soldiers; they had walked into a trap. _

_The young boy managed to fight off a few soldiers, a skill far beyond his years. Now it was the leader he was to face. _

"_You can't escape, young boy," growled the armored leader, his face hidden behind a helm. The boy noticed a ruby red ring on his captor's right ring finger, the ring emitted a strange aura that started to drain the life out of him, "your people are no more, and you'll be the last one to join all of them…"_

"_RANDY! GO!" screamed the boy's mother, jumping the leader from behind. Randy fled, but not before he heard the cries of his mother, trying to hold back the tears as the leader and his soldiers tortured his mother, the very last living relative of his…_

That ring of ruby was the same one that had been used many years ago by the leader of the Magi hunters. Randy couldn't believe it.

He was facing the man who had murdered his family and his people.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" roared Randy, furiously charging towards the bars of the cage, wanting to rip them off and get a piece of Lord Batista's stupid face, "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KILLED MY FAMILY!"

"So now you realize it, young Orton," sneered Lord Batista evilly, "yes, I am the one responsible for taking out your band of vagabonds. It was my duty, for it was my mission to obliterate this world of every last Magi. Clearly my men back then didn't do a very good job of it. But I will say, your mother was a very lucky woman."

"YOU SON OF A MOTHERFUCKER!" screamed Randy, "YOU KILLED HER!"

Randy wasn't going to let this son of a bitch get his hands all over his Mylene, especially now that he realized Batista was the one who'd raped and killed his mother almost twenty years ago.

"She meant nothing to me, Orton. She's one of the many women I frankly didn't give a damn about. But that broad that you've brought along…she's definitely a something," chuckled Lord Batista.

"YOU TOUCH HER AND I SWEAR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Oh please," drawled Lord Batista sarcastically, "like you can do anything to stop me."

"You're a fucking hypocrite, you know that?" spat Randy angrily, "you set out to eliminate the world of Magi, and you yourself are a Magus! What's your fucking problem with every other Magi, dickhead?"

"I suggest you keep your tongue in check or I'll have you punished severely, Orton," snapped Lord Batista, "you are right that I slay Magi and seek to eliminate every last one of them from the world, but you don't know why I do it. I am Lord David Batista, the most respected nobleman in the whole of Secretum. I hold a lot of power here for my past accomplishments, and I plan to expand that power throughout the world by obliterating all the Magi out there who get in my way. One thing you should know about me, Orton, is that I despise competition. That's why my mission is to hunt down meddling little Magi like you so that no one will get in my way. Soon, I will be the most powerful man who ever lived."

"That's not going to happen, once I put a stop to it," argued Randy defiantly.

"Please, I'd like to see you try," cackled Lord Batista, exiting the prison.

* * *

After his little chat with the prison's new captive, Lord Batista decides to pay a visit to Randy Orton's little girlfriend, whom he'd sent down to the palace gardens to work as a servant. He smiled as he remembered how she confronted him in the throne room, her electric blue eyes blazing furiously at him. She was a cute little thing, he'd like to add; he had never found himself more fascinated with any other Magi female than she.

Watching her tending to a bush of roses, he decided to give her an opportunity to be free of enslavement. There was something special about her, he sensed, that turned him on greatly. It wouldn't hurt to make an offer with her.

Mylene was reminded of the cavern she and Randy first made love in as she tended to the rose bush. The cavern has been the place she and Randy first realized their true feelings for each other. Fearing that Randy's life was at stake, she tried holding back tears as she remembered the first rose Randy gave her. She pulled out that same rose from her pocket, softly stroking its petals, admiring how red and fully bloomed it was. The roses she tended to were not the same as the one Randy gave her.

"Hello, my dear."

Mylene let out a groan upon recognizing Lord Batista's voice from behind. She stood up and turned around to find him just inches away from her.

"What?" she snapped.

"No 'hello' or 'good day, my Lord'?" said Lord Batista, "never mind about your manners, my dear. Have I ever told you that you are the most stunning woman I have ever laid my eyes on?"

"I believe you've told thousands of women before me," said Mylene sarcastically, turning her back to Batista to return to her job. The noble, however, spun her back around.

"Spurning me isn't going to make me like you any less, kitten," purred Lord Batista, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her to him, "I just don't understand how I am resistible to you; after all, I am the man that every woman desires."

"I must be the only one with a set of working brains, then," Mylene tried to push away, but his grip only grew harder.

"You can play hard to get all you want, kitten, but I can make you change your mind within a heartbeat," murmured Lord Batista, "what if I told you that your little boyfriend down in the dungeons will be executed in three days?"

Mylene's heart stopped. "No," she whispered, her anger suddenly turning into panic.

"Yes, kitten, he'll be hanging on a noose in three days, but I can retract my order should you comply with my offer," said Lord Batista, "I will give you the opportunity to free yourself by swearing to be my mistress, and should you agree, I can delay your boyfriend's punishment."

Mylene's stomach lurched in disgust. She thought she detested Lord Batista, but now she abhorred him greatly. He was just that low to blackmail her into becoming one of his mistresses. Mylene didn't even want to know how many mistresses he kept back in his manor.

"That doesn't mean he'll be free," answered Mylene, "even if I were to be your mistress, Randy will still face the death sentence. I refuse to be your mistress if you're only going to postpone his sentence."

"Suit yourself, kitten," Lord Batista had tried to convince her, but to no avail. It was quite clear that she cared about her lover boy too much to save her own life. "But if you decide to change your mind, I'll be waiting for your call." He kissed her hand and left her to finish her work.

* * *

Slamming the door of the garden shed shut, Mylene huddled in a corner and sobbed silently to herself. She was horrified to hear that Batista had ordered for Randy to be executed in just three days, and all she could do was delay the punishment by agreeing to be Batista's mistress.

It was a lose-lose situation for her; even if he didn't discover her secret, she'd end up with him anyway. At this point, Mylene believed there was no use hiding anymore. She might as well spill the beans and marry Lord Batista anyway.

She jumped in surprise when she heard the shed door open. The instant she saw her nursemaid Marion enter the shed, she had to fight the urge to jump out from her hiding place and throw herself into Marion's arms and cry. She needed someone to comfort her and Marion was the very first person she wanted to cry to. Mylene accidentally knocked her head against a shelf of tools, alerting Marion's attention to her hiding place.

"Who's there?" hissed Marion sharply, wielding the rake in her hand.

Mylene was forced to reveal herself at that moment, leaving Marion utterly speechless. Before Marion could say a word, Mylene magically made the door shut and charmed the walls of the shed soundproof so no one could hear her.

"Princess…" gasped Marion, dropping the rake to the floor, rushing over to embrace her little princess in her arms, "you're back…"

"Oh Marion!" cried Mylene, throwing herself into Marion's arms, embracing her nursemaid in a tearful reunion. It had been far too long since she'd seen Marion in person; she was the sole thing of Secretum she had missed dearly since her escape from the palace, "I missed you so!"

"Mylene, princess, so it was you who were captured!" gasped Marion, cupping Mylene's cheeks, looking extremely worried, "have they discovered you?"

"Of course not, Marion," assured Mylene gently, "had they known I was here I wouldn't have been in the gardens anyway; they would never make their precious little princess a palace servant."

"Still princess, you must be careful," whispered Marion, as though someone was listening onto their conversation (ironically, as Mylene had placed a soundproof charm on the entire shed), "Lord Batista is a Magi hunter; he could sense your presence easily."

"He hasn't said anything about me except that I looked familiar," said Mylene, "but I guess there's no point disguising myself any further; I'm going to end up with Lord Batista anyway."

"Whatever do you mean, dear?" asked Marion worriedly.

"He says he's going to kill Randy in three days, but he can delay his sentence on the condition that I become his mistress," explained Mylene gloomily, "that's just as bad as marrying him."

"You mean that devil's going to put that sweet man Randy to death?" gasped Marion, "that spawn of Satan! How dare he do such a thing! Randy's been such a sweetheart to you. I recall you telling me all about that man and how he makes you happy every single day you were with him in the forest. The two of you are simply adorable together!"

"Yes, but now I've got to find a way to save him," said Mylene, "I can't let him die! I love him so much that I would die along with him too."

"I'll make sure that never happens, my dear," boomed a deep, gruff voice from outside.

Both Marion and Mylene gasped; someone had managed to break past the soundproof barrier.

All of a sudden, there was a red burst of light, and the shed door burst into smithereens. A looming figure stood where the door once was, its presence terrified both women, especially the brunette beauty trembling in her nursemaid's arms.

"I knew you'd be back…_Mylene_."


	23. Discovered

**Runaway**

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**Chapter 23: Discovered**

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**Author's Note: I am SUPER SORRY about the super slow updates, guys! Firstly, during the summer I was busy looking at colleges and attending summer school so I didn't have a lot of time to update any of my stories. Secondly, school has started for me four weeks ago and already I am SUPER BUSY with AP classes and college applications. Lastly, to be fairly honest, I haven't the motivation to write due to lack of feedback on my recent works (i.e. the one-shots that I published weeks ago). I'm really hoping there would be more readers no matter how bad my stories are (I do apologize for how sucky my stories are). For now, I'm focused on getting this story done and then I'll move onto the other stories, which are currently on hold at the moment. Enjoy this chapter of Runaway!**

* * *

"_He says he's going to kill Randy in three days, but he can delay his sentence on the condition that I become his mistress," explained Mylene gloomily, "that's just as bad as marrying him."_

"_You mean that devil's going to put that sweet man Randy to death?" gasped Marion, "that spawn of Satan! How dare he do such a thing! Randy's been such a sweetheart to you. I recall you telling me all about that man and how he makes you happy every single day you were with him in the forest. The two of you are simply adorable together!"_

"_Yes, but now I've got to find a way to save him," said Mylene, "I can't let him die! I love him so much that I would die along with him too."_

"_I'll make sure that never happens, my dear," boomed a deep, gruff voice from outside. _

_Both Marion and Mylene gasped; someone had managed to break past the soundproof barrier. _

_All of a sudden, there was a red burst of light, and the shed door burst into smithereens. A looming figure stood where the door once was, its presence terrified both women, especially the brunette beauty trembling in her nursemaid's arms. _

"_I knew you'd be back…Mylene." _

Mylene stood there, paralyzed in shock, her arms around her nursemaid Marion. Horrified at the very sight before her, Mylene felt a wave of failure wash through her entire body. Instantly, she felt defeated, but at the same time, terrified, for her life was at stake this very moment. The sadistic look in Lord Batista's eyes left her mouth dry, leaving her unable to utter speech. She had been so caught up in the basking glow of love with Randy, she'd entirely forgotten the risk of getting caught.

Lord David Batista eyed his soon-to-be bride with glee. Something inside of him had told him that the beautiful creature had indeed been his sweet Mylene all along. It wasn't just the sound of her lovely voice, thanks to a special charm he'd used to break through Mylene's soundproof spell, that made him instantly recognize her; the electric blue sparks in her eyes when she defied him earlier were a dead giveaway as well. Though he usually preferred blondes, he now suddenly had a weakness for brunettes. It didn't matter to him that she'd managed to escape the palace in the first place; all that mattered was that she had been brought back to him.

"Hand over my fiancé, maid," Lord Batista ordered Marion in a booming voice.

"No!" cried Mylene, tears bursting from her eyes as Lord Batista strode over to her and roughly tugged her arm. She refused to let go of Marion; she couldn't let him take her away, back to square one.

"Don't touch my little princess," snarled Marion, slapping Batista's arm away and shielding Mylene by tucking her behind.

"And what power do you have over me, maid?" chuckled Batista evilly, grabbing Marion and forcefully tossing her over to the side.

"Marion!" shrieked Mylene, scrambling over to a semi-conscious Marion, but before she could reach her nursemaid, a pair of arms grabbed her from behind and tossed her over their shoulder, casually as though she were a rag doll.

"No! Let go of me!" screamed Mylene, kicking furiously and pounding at Batista's hard-planed back.

"Don't struggle, my sweet. You will soon learn to appreciate me," replied Batista with a wink, slapping her rounded ass playfully. He was quite used to carrying women over his shoulder, but Mylene was the first to struggle, making the task rather frustrating. Dave couldn't quite understand what Mylene found so attractive in the man she was captured with, but it was the least of his worries as he carried her up to his tower bedroom. After locking the door behind him, he tossed her onto his bed and gleefully climbed in.

Mylene scrambled back until the wooden headboard of the four-poster bed hit the back of her head. She felt like a mouse cornered by a cat, particularly with the way Lord Batista practically salivated over the sight of her. She prayed this was all simply a nightmare and that she was really back in the woods in Randy's arms.

"Get away from me, you…you…" Mylene stuttered. She was trapped. She struggled to conjure a spell that could repel him off of her, but somehow she couldn't. She could feel the power surge in her veins, but it just wouldn't leave her body. And then she realized, Dave's bedroom had probably been well-protected from Magus spells that were not his own. She was powerless beneath him as he crushed his rough lips against hers.

Dave's cold, chapped lips were nothing like Randy's soft velvet touch. Mylene wanted to be with Randy, sweet, gentle, Randy. She wanted to be back in the forest, in his warm embrace and making love to him like there was no tomorrow. She wanted Randy Orton, not David Batista, the man whom she was once again betrothed to marry...

…and eventually to her doom.

She wanted to scream, claw at his ugly face, and make a run for it. She wanted to be free of this animal binding her to his bed, doing as he pleased to her. She felt like a helpless rag doll underneath his heavy body, trapped between two walls, one of a feather mattress and the other of a chest made of steel. _Randy, _Mylene thought frantically, as she felt Dave's slimy hands wandering up her thigh and his lips on her collarbone, _I want Randy…_

Suddenly, she felt the ties of her bustier being untied and she screamed at the top of her lungs. She frantically slapped away Dave's grimy fingers, but he simply cast a spell, stiffening her entire body, leaving her completely helpless underneath him. He clamped his large hand over her mouth, muffling her cries for Randy, continuing his lazy exploration over the soft skin of her lithe body. Dave smirked as he trailed his lips towards her heaving breasts…

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Mylene was relieved as she felt Batista lift his body off of hers and slide off the bed. She wanted to fix herself back together, but her arms were too heavy to lift off of the bed, leaving her completely flustered before the sight of the confused palace guard standing by the open door.

"What do you want?" demanded Batista in a frustrated growl, glowering at the guard, who was much smaller than him, "can't you see I was in the middle of some very important business?"

"I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry, sir…" stuttered the guard, trembling nervously underneath Batista's intimidating glare, "it…it's…it's just that I heard s-s-s-screaming coming from your r-r-r-room and I…I thought I'd in-in-investigate…"

"I told you to stay in your position, not to interfere on my business, petty guard," snapped Dave angrily at the poor palace guard, "as you can see I am busy. Now leave or I'll have you sacked immediately."

"Y-y-yes, sir…" mumbled the guard, hurriedly rushing off back to his duty. Mylene's heart dropped in horror as Batista slammed the door shut and slowly turned back to her, licking his lips as he once again crawled back on top of her and pinned her to the sheets.

"My sweet princess," purred Batista, his brown eyes staring down at her with burning lust. She looked absolutely irresistible at that moment, her breasts heaving up towards him with her heavy breathing and her pink, pouty lips swollen from his rough kisses, "my deliciously sweet yet so sinfully sexy Mylene…"

"Get off of me you disgusting bastard!" shrieked Mylene, kicking her legs furiously and slapping at him. The effects of the binding spell were slowly wearing off.

"That sort of language is not appropriate for this time, my sweet," Batista shrugged her off casually, "nevertheless, you and I will finally be married and I will stop at nothing to make you mine."

Mylene shook her head, muttering a no. "You'll kill me," she whispered, tears shining in her eyes.

Lord Batista chuckled evilly. "You think I'm going to kill you, my beautiful fiancée? After all this time waiting for you to return? Do you really think that low of me?" He looked slightly hurt.

"Yes," Mylene growled angrily, glowering at him with all the resentment and hate she'd harbored for him. She loathed him, oh, she loathed him so. She really did think that low of him.

"I will ensure this changes, Princess," replied Lord Batista casually, "Together we will rule Secretum, make the people fall to their knees, bow and worship us like the gods in the heavens."

"I'd rather you have killed me instead," sputtered Mylene.

"Come to think of it, Mylene, I _was_ going to kill you after our honeymoon, but your little stunt in the throne room made me reconsider my plan," admitted Lord Batista, "never in my life have I ever met any Magus who could escape the force field surrounding the castle, nor have I ever encountered such a…lovely, beautiful one. I thought you were a pathetic human at first, but now that I realize how truly powerful you are, I'm going to make you my Queen instead, for two Magi are more powerful than one."

"You do realize that I'm going to be a stubborn pain in the ass of a wife now that you know I have magic?" Mylene brought up.

"I'm very glad you brought that up, my sweet," said Batista gleefully, taking the mysterious ring off of his finger and sliding it onto Mylene's left ring finger.

Suddenly, Mylene felt a burst of pain radiating throughout her entire body. She writhed and screamed underneath him, feeling the ache in her body intensify. Slowly, painfully, she felt all the spark, magic, and energy in her blood drain out, and eventually she fell limply to the bed, surrendering herself to a very gleeful Lord Batista hovering above her. He roughly pressed her lips to hers once again, and when his tongue slithered past her lips, she hadn't the strength to resist.

* * *

Randy writhed vigorously, shaking the chains that restrained his hands, desperately trying to break free. He'd already tried magic; his several attempts only gave him painfully torturous electric shocks, specially installed in the prison's chains. Many times the prison guards admonished him, telling him to shut up and keep still. Randy would reply with several expletives; however, it wasn't the guards who irritated him greatly.

With each electric shock Randy could sense Mylene in great distress. He could feel her pain, horror, and fear. He didn't want to imagine what terrible things Batista had planned for her, nor did he want to picture in his head what Batista was doing at the moment to _his_ Mylene. It was almost as though he could hear Mylene screaming for him from the tower, where Batista's bedroom was.

_My Mylene,_ though Randy angrily, _she's mine. Not that son of a bitch's queen. She's mine. She needs me._

Randy wanted to save Mylene, his beautiful Mylene. But there was nothing he could do at the moment. He was trapped, down in this damned dungeon, where it was useless unleashing his anger onto his prison cell. He was left helpless, and in three days, he would meet his fateful death.

He heard the vague echo of footsteps from the distance, but he refused to budge. He believed it was another prison guard coming to deliver his disgusting excuse for a meal. From the dark shadows he changed his mind, however; the guard approaching him had an unusually tall, willowy stature.

"Is the Magus there?" Randy raised an eyebrow; the voice sounded very much like Mylene's, only calmer and in a whisper.

"You mean the one that just came in?" came a gruff voice, presumably from a prison guard on duty, "that son of a bitch is the biggest jackass who ever came in here. He'd throw his food at us and we even had to double the voltage of his shocks."

"I would like a word with him alone please," requested the soft female voice sharply.

"If he's got you in a predicament, your Highness, please give us a call." Randy rolled his eyes. He wasn't dumb enough to threaten the Queen, Mylene's mother, the woman who breathed life to the girl of his dreams.

The clicking of heels cautiously approached his cell. Emerging from the shadows was the spitting image of Mylene, the same blue eyes and soft blonde curls before Mylene had dyed hers dark. Randy was greatly surprised at the Queen's demeanor; he fully expected her to be just as heartless as her husband. Perhaps it was the Queen whom Mylene greatly took after, rather than the fiery temper the King possessed.

"It's Mr. Orton, I believe?" greeted the Queen softly with a curtsy.

"Your Majesty," addressed Randy politely.

"I saw what happened in the throne room when you were brought in along with my daughter," said the Queen softly.

Randy could hardly believe it. The Queen had known all along that Mylene was in disguise. Perhaps she wasn't as dimwitted as Mylene had ranted to him about.

"I saw the way you defended her from Lord Batista, Mr. Orton, and never in my life have I ever seen my daughter so smitten over any man. I could tell from the way you talked back at my husband and my daughter's fiancé that you love her. You truly love her. I don't think I've met any man who truly cares about Mylene this way. I give you my blessing and forever thankful for keeping her alive. I was petrified and stricken when I heard she ran away; oh I've been such an awful mother to her!" The Queen broke down in tears before him and Randy was unsure of how to handle the situation. "My husband had been treating her like crap ever since he took her bundle away from me in the hospital. I can't let her marry that hideous beast Lord Batista either! He'll kill her!"

Instantly Randy sat up. He thought he wanted Batista dead, but now he wanted to torture him in the most painfully possible way. Swear on his own life, he was not going to let anyone kill Mylene, even if it meant sparing his life.

"I love Mylene more than anything in the world, your Highness. I'm going to be executed in three days and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Their wedding is in three days as well, Mr. Orton," the Queen informed him, "Batista has unveiled my daughter's mask and he pledges to marry her as soon as possible. I will help you get you out and keep her alive, but only if you listen to my instructions and follow them verbatim."

"Now listen carefully…"


	24. Waiting

**Runaway**

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**Chapter 24: Waiting**

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**Author's Note: A big thank you to everyone who reviewed so far! This will be one of the last chapters of this story, just to let y'all know.**

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The chains rattled, clinking loudly, as Randy fiddled with his fingers, waiting for time to pass by so slowly and painfully. Time passed by too slowly, too slowly for him to not see his beautiful Mylene once within the three days he had been imprisoned here. In the three days of his imprisonment his temper and patience was tested, and he simply couldn't stand being in this dreadful prison any longer. He wanted to beat the piss out of the guards that taunted and insulted him. Had he the strength and power he would break free of the special chains that held him down and find David Batista so he could unleash all hell on him. He swore if he had to wait any longer he would explode in rage and tear down the entire palace with his bare hands.

Randy reflected on The Queen's words, surprised at how she was willing to help him despite her position in the palace. Of all people he least expected her to offer assistance, particularly from how Mylene spoke negatively of her during her conversations. She didn't seem like the quiet, submissive trophy wife at all, especially since she'd actually the nerve to come down and pay a visit to a convicted Magus. When the Queen broke down in tears Randy noted he'd have to remind Mylene how much her mother truly cared for her.

He rubbed his palms together, sweeping the dirt that coated his skin. He knew in less than an hour or two, he'd meet his new friend the noose, all while Mylene and Dave's wedding took place. The Queen informed him that a grand ceremony was scheduled to take place in the greater courtyard at sunset, and the entire kingdom was invited to witness the marriage. Randy's blood boiled picturing a trembling Mylene trapped at the altar with a smirking David Batista. Over his dead body would he ever let poor Mylene marry that bastard.

He waited. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes later Randy heard the Queen's soft voice ordering the guards to head down to the courtyard, where the wedding was to take place. He nodded silently to himself; this was all part of the plan.

The Queen appeared before him with a set of spare keys and an old man next to her bearing an odd-shaped pendant. Randy reached out between the bars to touch the very center of it and instantly the old man transformed into a perfect carbon copy of him. Randy found it rather strange to be staring at a reflection of himself, but shook that thought of his head quickly and watched as the Queen quickly deactivated the confines of his cell and gave him a second pendant.

"Do what you must, young man," the doppelganger said to him, "I will not have that son of a bitch Batista take over our kingdom."

Randy nodded, reluctantly leaving the man in his place, following the Queen out the prison doors to meet with the rest of them. Little did he realize that the Queen was secretly the leader of a resistance group against the King and Lord Batista, and their plan tonight was to interrupt the wedding and take out Lord Batista.

* * *

Up in the tallest tower, Mylene stood in four-inch white satin heels, dressed in the most beautiful wedding gown she'd ever dreamed of wearing on her special day. Swarovski crystals adorned the pure white bodice, the poufy, bustled skirt in an elegant balloon-like hemline. She had been scrubbed head to toe, pampered to look pretty since the sun rose from the skyline. All day she'd been prepared for this moment, her make-up soft and virgin-like to make her eyes look as innocent as a newlywed. Her hair was combed away from her face, cascading down her back in intricate curls with a tiara of silver leaves to push her hair back.

She truly looked like a goddess, an angel sent down from the heavens, yet she didn't feel the slightest like one. Instead, she felt like a slave, a prisoner, tied down and chained to a future that was anything but bright. She'd dreamed of being a bride one day but that dream resembled nothing of the real thing. She didn't feel lost in the clouds. She wasn't in bliss over finally finding a man to marry. The man she pictured in her dreams would never happen, for she was bound to David Batista instead.

She was so beautiful yet at that very moment she was the unhappiest bride anyone would have ever seen. Her blue eyes sparkling with pools of tears, her face flushed from crying, her chest aching from her heart shattering into millions of pieces. Mylene ran her fingers slowly on the pendant Randy had gotten her that day at the black market. She wanted Randy. She needed Randy. She needed him.

"Mylene…"

Mylene gasped. She swore she'd just heard Randy whispering her name softly. "Randy?" she asked in a silent whimper. She glanced around the room, but still she was alone.

"I have never seen in my life a bride so stunning, beautiful…"

Mylene stared back at the mirror and saw a faded mirage of Randy standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. This time her tears were of happiness simply looking at how great they looked together, the mirage giving her a kiss on the cheek. Mylene swore that kiss felt real; she could feel his lips against her skin. She glanced down at the glowing pendant and smiled, remembering the old woman's words at the market…

"_It's a special pendant that shows you what you desire the most."_

"_It's not showing me anything, though," said Mylene, gently fingering the smooth surface of the opal. _

"_Because it will only show you the images of what you desire the most when it senses that you need it the most," answered the woman._

Though Randy wasn't physically with her, Mylene knew he was always in her heart wherever she went.

"I wish it was for our wedding," she whispered to the mirage Randy.

"I'll make it happen, princess," Mylene could feel Randy's warm embrace as his mirage whispered those words to her, "but don't give it away. Remember that as you walk up that altar, I'll still be that special place in your heart. Lord Batista can't and never will force you to love him the way I love you." And with that, Randy's mirage disappeared and the pendant stopped glowing.

Mylene's fingers once again brushed over the pendant, a small smile on her face knowing she could always be with Randy, even if she was going to marry another man. That very thought sent her crashing back down to reality and her smile faded, her eyes losing its sparkle. As much as she didn't want to believe it, in less than an hour she would be married to the man she loathed the most in front of the entire kingdom. She shuddered even thinking about her wedding night; Randy would not have anyone touching her intimately or he'd go berserk.

A gentle knock on the door snapped Mylene's attention away from her reflection in the mirror. In strode Marion and her mother, both looking somber, ironic for a wedding day.

"It's time, my princess," said Marion reluctantly, faking a smile.

"Dear, thank heavens we used that special primer to keep your eyes from getting smudged," said the Queen, who looked dreadfully worried. Much to Mylene's surprise, the Queen approached her daughter and threw her arms around her in embrace.

"Mother…what are you doing?" Mylene was extremely puzzled at her mother's actions.

"I can't lose you, my only daughter," replied her mother, "if I were you, I wouldn't have wanted to marry that man from the depths of hell."

"She went to see your lover today, little one," whispered Marion, glancing around the room to make sure no one could hear them.

"Randy?" gasped Mylene, the very sound of his reference making her heart skip a beat, "how is he? Have they…"

"I assure you he will be alright, my dear," replied the Queen, "and no, they haven't carried out his execution yet." Mylene let out a sigh of relief. "I would have rather you married Randy than Lord Batista; don't tell your father this."

"Me too," admitted Mylene glumly, glancing down at the ring Dave had put on her three days earlier, "but I have to thank my fiancé too; had the King not betrothed me to marry Lord Batista I would have never run away from the castle nor would I have ever met Randy."

"That's a good point, princess," agreed Marion, nodding as she examined Mylene's make-up.

"LEONORA! WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?" all three ladies jumped upon hearing the King's screeches for his wife, "MARION! WHERE'S THE BRIDE? IS SHE READY?"

Mylene rolled her eyes, rather offended that the King chose to refer to her as 'the bride' instead of by her real name. She heard her mother sigh behind her in reluctance, for she herself had to get herself prim for the wedding. All of her relatives-in-law were going to be present at the ceremony; the King never invited any of the Queen's family to royal events.

Suddenly, the door burst open and in strode the King gallantly in his red and gold robes, his crown proudly perched on the crown of his head. Mylene seethed with anger seeing the smug look on his face; he was obviously proud of the damage he'd caused to her and her family. Was he even aware of what Lord Batista had in store for her? Was he really working with Lord Batista all along to rid Secretum of Magi?

"Ah! There you are, princess! My, my, I've never been prouder than to watch my daughter wed and ascend to the throne," sighed the King happily, nodding in approval. Mylene struggled to hide all the curse words bursting to explode out of her mouth, "come on, there's no time to waste; we must proceed on with the wedding!" He grabbed Mylene roughly by the hand and dragged her downstairs.

_Where are you, Randy?_ Mylene thought gloomily, praying that Randy would be there to save her, whatever way he could. As the King led her to her doom, she closed her eyes and felt her pendant, saying goodbye to Randy for the last time before walking through the palace doors.


End file.
